On Tour
by Nanomemes
Summary: Iori's band on Tour [COMPLETE]
1. It Begins

_Can we go back to fun stuff? Too much heavyness recently lol._

 _This is kinda gonna be snippets and slice of life. There won't really be much of a story. Just eccentricities._

 _You know I love my boi._

* * *

Rock Howard was falling asleep.

He was sitting in the back of an auditorium style lecture hall, and the calculus professor was droning about limits. The exam was four weeks away, and nobody was paying any attention. It was the beginning of the spring semester and the weather was becoming hot and musky. Beams of soft afternoon sunlight shone through the windows. Rock rested his cheek on his notebook and closed his eyes.

"Psst. Oy Rocky."

Rock felt the back of a pen poke into his shoulder. The pen clicked and the spring squeaked. He ignored it. If he pretended to be asleep, Adam would give up and leave him alone. He probably found something interesting online or something. Whatever it was, it could wait. Nap first.

"Rocky… Hey! It's your boss! Holy shit I think he's wearing booty shorts."

"Mmm… ok… "

The professor had stopped droning and was angrily shrilling at somebody. She was a frail, petite woman who was exceedingly proud of being British. She turned her microphone all the way up and squeaked protests. A man's intolerably loud voice overpowered the speakers and drowned out whatever Ms. Blackwell was saying. Wait… one one person sounds like tha- _oh god._

"You brute! You simply cannot burst into a venerable teaching institution like this and-"

"HOWAAARD!"

Rock snapped to attention, nearly jumping out of his seat. He knew that voice all too well. He had endured countless hours of Iori Yagami going insane about how his guitar was slightly off tune, or he was slightly off beat, or he whatever millions of other nit-picky things the psycho cared about. When Rock first filled the vacant guitarist position on Iori's band, he had gone in with the expectation of dealing with the man's eccentricities. He had _not_ anticipated him being such a slavedriver.

"Yup. Booty shorts."

Adam nodded knowingly. Rock rubbed the sleep from his eyes and instinctively scrambled to his feet. Before he realized what he was doing, he found himself standing awkwardly at the top of the auditorium. Iori had walked to the center of the room, ignoring the teacher entirely. He stood in front of three hundred students dressed in skin tight gym clothes, compression shorts, and toting three suitcases. He was wearing sunglasses indoors. One month ago, It would've been the stupidest thing Rock had ever seen anyone wear, but now, and outfit looked positively pedestrian.

"Howard! Let's go. Australia."

"What?!"

Rock exclaimed his shock. He squinted incredulously at the red-haired man. Iori had never bothered him at school before, besides for the occasional call. Usually he only called when drunk, or on pain meds. It looked like his arm had finally healed, so no more of that nonsense. _Thank god._

"I said, Australia! We're going to Australia. Now! Get moving!"

There was muttering in the crowd. Eyes flickered from him to the rockstar who stood on the lecture floor. News that he had joined one of the world's most famous bands had spread like wildfire. Naturally in a university of nearly twenty thousand, some still doubted him… _Guess that won't be a problem anymore…_

"I have school! I'm not on break yet!"

"Yeah, but I'm paying all expenses and I need a guitarist. Four weeks. We'll hit Sydney, Hong Kong, Japan, whatever. Athena has it figured out. You can go back to class afterwards. Plane flies in two hours. Come on."

"Wait! Yagami!"

He had already turned on his heel and strut out the door.

* * *

 _So, Yalls know I hate OCs. The rest of Yag's band are actually OCs, so they're not coming._

Expect shenanigans lul


	2. Banana Phone

_Adventures of Rock Howard. Sucks to suk my boi. We enter more characters next chap._

 _yeboi lez guh_

* * *

"WE'RE LAAA-"

"I'm here! I'm here!"

Rock Howard burst out of his house with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a crazed look in his eye. The bag was stuffed full of clothes, his wallet, his passport… well, essentially anything else he could lay hold of while tearing through his room. He had done his best to pack as quickly and quietly as possible in order that his father didn't wake up. Terry was asleep on the living room couch, and Rock didn't have time to explain the situation to him. The plane left in two hours, and Iori was screaming at the side of his house.

Unfortunately, despite Rock's efforts, Terry didn't remain asleep long. Nothing could snooze through the racket the red-haired man was making outside. Iori Yagami could raise the dead. Terry was rudely awakened by a " _Howaaard! I'm downgrading you to the cargo hold if you make me miss my flight!"_

Southtown's legendary wolf nearly jumped out of his skin as he tumbled off the couch. He looked up just in time to see his son fleeing the place with a suitcase stuffed with his belongings. Terry rushed outside to see a wild-eyed Rock Howard frantically toss his possessions into Iori's car, and jump into the passenger's seat through the open window. Iori yelled something indecipherable, and with a roar, they were off.

Terry stood, blinking, on the sidewalk in his pyjama pants watching the mini hatchback retreat down the street. Rock could see the utter shock and betrayal on his face from the rear-view mirror. He tried to wave, or _somehow_ signal that he wasn't abandoning his father, but the car skidded around a corner before Rock had a chance to.

 _Euh… dad probably thinks I'm running away from home… or Iori kidnapped me or something… I should give him a call._

With a grunt, Rock patted down for his phone. He'd sworn he stuck it in his jeans' pocket, but it was nowhere to be found. It was probably in the trunk… _hopefully._ Rock Howard didn't like travelling much, so the very prospect of travelling across several continents was nerve wracking. Doing it without reliable communication? _My worst nightmare._

If course, Iori never gave him much of a choice in these matters - and Rock was too scared to refuse any of his boss's requests. Iori Yagami was a deadly fighter who could kill with a glance. Just last week, Rock had gone to practice to find everyone gathered outside the building. Someone, probably a rival band, had bolted the doors shut and welded the hinges together. When Iori arrived, he melted the entire iron door into a puddle and they commenced practice as if nothing was unusual.

The experience wasn't meant to be terrifying, the guys didn't seem to think anything of it. But then again, Jake and Rob weren't fighters, Rock recognized Iori's pyrokinesis for what it was- a killer. If one day Iori wasn't happy with him, it was very possible Rock Howard would disappear in a whiff of smoke and nobody would ever hear from him again.

So no, even though travelling across the world scared him shitless, he didn't dare refuse. Iori made death threats all the time, and Rock saw no reason not to believe them. In the interest of his own safety, here he was, sitting next to the most terrifying person he'd ever met, on route to the ends of the earth… and he _needed_ his phone.

 _I'm screwed… it's probably in my luggage… It'd better be…_

What did it matter that Rock could beat him in basketball, or that Iori had played along with his stupid lie over the phone and saved his social life... If Iori Yagami could casually melt steel on a whim, he could easily kill anyone with a glance. If he _really_ wanted someone dead, they were going to die. Better yet, Iori had the most volatile temper on earth, and Rock was convinced anything could set him off.

 _Two years… I gotta survive two years in this crazy band, then my career will take off and I'll be free. Come on Rocky, you got thi-_

"Howard! Fasten up. I don't wanna get a ticket 'cuz of you."

Iori had stopped shouting at Yamazaki over the phone, just long enough to shout at Rock, who was startled out of his pep-talk. The teenager flinched so violently he nearly jumped out of the seat. As he clicked his seatbelt in, he could make out the airport at the end of the road. Planes were flying in, others were flying out… _this isn't a joke… this is actually happening. I'm gonna be stuck a thousand miles away from home with this crazy guy…_

" _Who the hell is SBF? I don't care about your weird bank stuff Yamazaki! Don't call me for money until I get my 10 - fucking - percent! No, I don't wanna buy a house, and I don't care that the market's gonna crash. Leave me alone, I'm about to fly-_ Hey, Howard. Look for Century street, There's a long-term-parking there. We're boarding at… check for MCO to Sydney - here."

Iori tossed his phone at his passenger. Rock almost fumbled it out the window.

* * *

 _I wish I could yell all day without my throat giving out. Acutally, When you sing opera, you generate the sound from your diaphragm, so you acutally get minimal strain on your throat. I can talk all day using that technique, but if I were to yell like crazy, like straight out scream, it would destroy my vocal chords. :0_

 _"Losing my phone" Runs in Terry's family._

 _Ready for austrailia? hee :D_

 _Imagine Howard drops Yag's phone out the window? He'd better jump out after it lul._


	3. Vegemite

_Starring Athena, Yashiro, Shermie, Kensou, Yag, Rock, a jar of Vegemite_

* * *

Athena was late.

It horrified her.

She had always prided herself in promptness. Making someone wait not only inconvenienced them, but indicated a certain amount of disrespect. Well, Athena wasn't _afraid_ of Iori… but it wasn't good to disrespect anyone, really. _Will he even care? Sometimes he goes crazy, sometimes he seems to forget to. I'm glad Yashiro isn't that uptight…_

"Sie, pass me my phone."

Sie Kensou, her boyfriend, sat beside her in the taxi. He was dressed in blue jeans, t-shirt and had purchased a cowboy hat from a tourist trap. His was visibly, and messily, smeared with sunscreen and smelled strongly of SPF. Nobody could mistake him for anything other than a tourist, the chinese face didn't help.

"-mmph? Mhmm."

He was halfway through wolfing down _something_ he had bought at a street stand, and was dropping crumbs into her handbag as he dug for her phone. She ended up snatching her purse from him.

Athena and Kensou had arrived in Sydney two days ago in order to sort out concert logistics. This event was going to be a big one, it was her breakout performance in Australia, as she didn't have much of a following here. She had specifically requested Iori come along as he was already a big name in these parts. She planned to ride his coattails in America and Australia, he could ride hers when they hit Hong Kong and Shanghai. Shermie and Yashiro were coming at Yagami's behest.

Athena had agreed to personally greet them in the airport. A meeting she was half an hour late to. Where was her phone?… she needed to call Iori in case he decided to cause a scene in the airport, or just leave and go sightseeing. He had done both before. Athena didn't know how he lived with himself.

 _Ah. There it is… I need to sort my bag one of these days…_

She took a preparatory breath, dialed the number, and gingerly placed the phone against her ear.

* _Brrrrr- Click_ *

 _*Hello? Hi, is this Ms. Athena?*_

English, and not Iori. She frowned and briefly checked the caller ID before replying.

"Hi there, are you... you're the new band member aren't you? I'm sorry about this, but I'm still on my way to the airport. The traffic is bad. Tell Yagami I'll be there shortly, okay? Ask him to stay in the airport. I'm fifteen minutes out."

 _*Oh, ok. Um, My name's Rock Howard, ma'am. I'm the guitarist. Very nice to meet you. I guess I'll be seeing you soon, so… yeah. I'll tell Iori if he wakes up before you arrive. He's still sleeping*_

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Howard. So Yagami, he's not… causing a scene, is he?" What a relief. Maybe Iori finally decided to grow a sense of embarrassment.

 _*Uh, yeah, no. I don't know what kind of pills he takes, but he slept for fifteen straight hours on the airplane and now he's sleeping on the airport benches. Me and CYS are eating lunch in here. Did you eat yet? Do you want to join us?*_

"Alright, see you soon."

* * *

The four of them were sitting around a wicker table in the Sydney Airport's food court. Shermie was taking up most of the tablespace with her makeup. Yashiro was next to her, and trying to spoon feed vegemite to Iori. Iori was grumpy and halfway delirious from _whatever_ drugs he had taken at the beginning of the flight, and was decidedly unhappy that Rock had woken him up. Rock was trying to focus on his barbequed shrimp sandwich, and not on Shermie's mostly exposed bosom.

 _Can't she wear a… turtleneck or something? Would that even help?_

Shermie wasn't the only one dressed liberally, Yashiro was wearing a vest without an undershirt and it looked horrible. For probably the first time in his life, Iori wasn't the weirdest one in the room. Mostly because the air-conditioner in SouthTown's airport was too cold, and he went to buy a pair of sweatpants to wear over his shorts before they boarded. He didn't seem to care the word PINK was emblazoned across his butt.

"Dude, I promise this stuff tastes amazing. Don't be a pussy."

"It fuckin' smells like shit. I'm not eating it. Get it out of my face before I throw it across the room."

Yashiro was laughing. Iori was glaring. They'd been bickering non-stop ever since Rock was forced to shake his boss out of his drug-induced sleep. Just yesterday, Rock would've rather die then wake Iori and potentially get his stomach clawed open. But the plane ride had been largely uneventful, and not unpleasant since their tickets were first class. Iori had slept beside him the entire trip, and was silent for about half of it. He spent a worrying amount of time sleep-talking, and Rock was starting to suspect his boss had a thing for Brian Battler.

Nevertheless, the peaceful 14 hours had lulled Rock Howard into a sense of security. He was beginning to think his boss wasn't as insane as he was made out to be. Within five minutes of regaining consciousness, Iori immediately got to work dispelling any goodwill he'd built up with his new bandmate.

"The lady said it's a local delicacy. Ya gonna insult Australian culture?! Huh!? Didn't think so- _Open wide_ ~"

"Fucking die Yashiro!"

Iori gave Yashiro the flattest deadpan he could muster, then violently backhanded the spoon away. It skidded across the floor, leaving a trail of black sauce on the polished concrete and almost tripping a businesswoman. He snatched up the open jar of the foul smelling spread, and stood to hurl it across the food court.

There was a sinking feeling in Rock's stomach as he watched the jar fly. The tar-like contents slowly separated from the container as it traveled through the air.

At that very moment, Athena and Kensou walked through the automatic doors. They were greeted by a sticky rain of yeast-based foodstuffs. Kensou caught the majority with his white t-shirt and Athena caught the remainder in her hair. Rock got up and decided he needed to go hide in the bathroom for a bit.

* * *

 _Yag with PINK sweatpants is a mood._

 _Vegemite is a (wikipedia): thick, black, Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives._

 _Vegemite is a (UrbanDictionary): semi edible dark brown paste. Traditionally used by Australians to disgust foreigners. Highly effective on North Americans._

 _Happy thanksgiving._


	4. I like your Hair, Bitch

_Tackled a big one... angry Athena._

 _Tbh, probably got her all wrong._

 _Ofc Shermie's a massive bitch. massive._

* * *

"Asimaya! You're _late!_ "

Athena was fuming. Her hands were shaking. She was breathing more heavily than usual. She was trying to keep a smile on her face, but it probably wasn't working. It was only nine in the morning, yet her hair was ruined and she smelled like rotten beer. Kensou was also unhappy with the uninitiated food-fight, but as they approached the wicker table Athena perceived he was becoming worried. Perhaps he was anticipating Athena would begin a _real_ fight.

Of course she wouldn't… she was level-headed, and cool, and calm… Iori was always a rude little _bitc-_ ehm… well. She'd just have to be mature about this. She wasn't impulsive enough to start a fight with one of the most dangerous people on earth, just because her hair was ruined.

Iori was sitting nonchalantly at the table and stared her down as she approached. He was sipping a coffee and was actually dressed decently for once. _His_ hair wasn't dripping in black goop, neither were Yashiro and Shermie. Shermie was trying hard to suppress her laughter. As Athena stalked nearer, the frenchwoman gave up, and giggled hard enough to smear her lipstick. She pointed a mocking finger at Athena, and drawled between hiccups.

"Ah, mademoiselle, ( _hic_ ) I trust you're liking Aus-( _hic_ )-tralia? Did you know that's a delicacy here-"

Yashiro grabbed her by the shoulder and herded her away before Athena could retort. He waved an embarrassed apology and the quickly rounded a corner - out of sight. Athena smiled blandly in the general direction where they disappeared. A glob of vegemite fell from her hair, onto her cheek. She angrily wiped it away and it landed on the ground with a disgusting splat.

She was angry enough to cry.

 _Nonsense. Athena! This is nothing. You're stronger than this. When you're a pop-idol, somebody is bound to make fun of you. I've got Sie here, I've got my friends, I've got my career… this is just a stupid food fight, okay? I'm going to be working with Yagami now, so I need to stay calm…_

Iori was sitting there, calm as could be, and not in the least embarrassed or apologetic. Did he know he had caused this entire mess? Perhaps he was doing it intentionally to get a reaction out of her? Did he want a fight? Was he testing her? Athena had only met him briefly before, and their business together was done primarily via agent. This was the first time she would actually need to deal with him face to face. So far, she wasn't liking it one bit.

But of course, she wasn't going to fight. That was an infantile reaction to have. Throwing Iori across the room was a surefire way to ruin the business relationship, and maybe get set on fire. Fire is far worse than goop, so she was going to be logical and overlook this fiasco… _just overlook it._

Despite her resolve, Athena learned something new about her business partner that day: Iori Yagami really had a way with words when it came to pissing people off.

"Did you two go wrestling in shit or something? Or get mobbed by seagulls? Why did you come here covered in mud? You're in public you know. Have some respect for the people here."

 _..._

 _Oh._

 _That's it._

* * *

 _*-so he gave you this phone?*_

"Uh, well no. He's just letting me use it. I didn't tell him I left mine at home."

Rock scratched the back of his head and leaned against the wall, knocking into the hand-dryers. In the SouthTown airport, he was only able to send his father a quick text saying _*Hi dad. Don't worry. On Tour.*_ Unfortunately, airport chaos -compounded with Iori chaos- was enough to drive him a bit addle-brained. He had forgotten he was texting using Iori's phone, and only realized this once they were in the air and out of signal. Rock spent all 14 hours on the airplane thinking about how suspicious the message was and how it could've been misunderstood.

 _Maybe Terry thinks Iori's calling him 'dad' out of the blue… I mean… considering he just threw a jar of Vegemite at Athena, it's a serious possibility._

Thankfully, the suspicious text message was enough to keep Terry from calling the police. They had been in the Sydney airport for some time already, and Rock could've called earlier, but he didn't dare take his boss's phone without permission. Rock finally got a chance after Iori woke up, gave a groggy approval, and started throwing food like an infant.

Terry wasn't so much angry, as he was relieved. He still disapproved of the trip, but recognized that Rock of technically an adult at nineteen. The call had been a lot less confrontational then Rock had expected, and he was relieved the conversation went as smoothly as it did. His father never really got mad at him, but then again, this is the first time he flew across the earth with a clinically insane man without telling anybody.

 _*... well, Iori said he's paying expenses right? Make him buy you a phone… and while you're at it, ask him to cover your tuition. I mean, you're gonna miss most of the quarter, and I guarantee you 12 grand is nothing to him.*_

"Aw. I dunno dad. I think he's just paying for food and stuff…and I have a full scholarship anyways… I think… well, I don't want to piss him off, that's all."

 _*What does that mean. Are you scared he'll do something? Has he hurt you before?! I'll buy you a return flight right now-*_

"No! No, I'm fine, it's just… uh-"

Familiar screaming emanated from the food court. Rock rushed outside to see Athena and Kensou looking up at the airport's tall ceiling. Shermie and Yashiro were nowhere in sight. And Iori was... _wow, that's high up._

"Dad, I need to go. Bye, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

 _*Rock! Hang on-*_

 _*Click*_

* * *

Baby isn't good with heights. :(

 _When I say food court, I mean you know sometimes in airports there are resturants around, and just chairs and tables in the 'lobby'/'gate area'. Like open-plan style. The ceiling is essentially the airport's ceiling. Athena get gooped when the walk into the gate area. Technically, people who aren't flying ususally aren't allowed anywhere near the gates, but bear with me. :0_


	5. Slavedriver

_RinoaDestiny is my new BFF, Yagami fangirls unite. yeet._

 _Also, here's more of Yagami being casually awful. One day I'm gonna have Rock punch Iori in the stomach or something. I'm so mean to the poor duckling. :0_

* * *

It was 10AM in Sydney and Rock was exhausted.

He'd spent most of his plane trip watching movies and when they landed in Australia it was early in the morning. Iori had the right idea sleeping on the plane, because from the moment they left the airport, Iori began zipping around the city running errands. Rock had no choice but to follow, as Iori was both his meal ticket, and means of communication. Just keeping up with him was a full time job, and the teenager was already dead on his feet.

 _At least he's not making me carry everything…_

To be honest, following his boss around Sydney's sidewalks was preferable to the alternative. Iori never really went anywhere without causing a scene, and after the most recent one: where Iori threw food at Athena, and Athena threw Iori at the ceiling, Rock truly believed someone was going to die. Either Athena wouldn't catch him and Iori would break his neck on the concrete, or she _did_ catch him, and he freaked out and melted her.

Luckily, dizziness saved the day. Yagami wasn't good with heights and a bout of vertigo left him sitting on the ground with his head buried in his arms. Athena had stood beside him like a disapproving schoolteacher and stared him down with her hands on her hips, dripping with semi-edible yeast spread. Nobody got melted. Nobody broke their necks. Iori needed an aspirin. Athena needed a shower. Rock felt great temptation to simply walk off and pretend he didn't know these people, because they were rapidly being surrounded by a growing ring of spectators.

… _So embarrassing… I wish I could just teleport too… Why doesn't Iori have psychic powers instead of that stupid fire stuff…_

Athena's escape was graceful and instantaneous. She just disappeared, leaving Rock and his employer at the center of attention. It took a full minute for Iori to regain his bearings and begin shouldering his way out of the crowd. That single minute was the longest Rock Howard had ever endured. He just stood there like a deer in the headlights. A very tired deer in the headlights. Stressful situations like this really drained him. He would've given anything to be back home in his warm, soft bed. He just wanted curl up and hide from the world. Forget about all this cringey, embarrassing shit and take a nice long nap. _Yeah… that sounds real nice right about now..._

Rock stopped walking when the person in front of him stopped. They were in some part of the city, and Rock wasn't seeing straight. The best he could do at this point was drag a suitcase and follow. His brain was just about ready to call it quits, so it took a full three seconds for it to realize the person in front of his wasn't Iori.

 _Shit… shit._

Getting lost was quite literally the last thing he needed right now. If Rock got lost, there wasn't any real guarantee Iori would even look for him. He just wasn't a very caring person. At all.

 _Wait! Is that him?!_

Rock saw a flash of red hair round a corner a block to his left. He tore down the street like a madman to reunite with the origin of his suffering. Iori failed to even acknowledge him when he finally caught up. He was dragging the other two suitcases and was carrying Rock's duffel while arguing with somebody over the phone, which was pinned to the side of his head via baseball cap.

Rock fell into step behind him, and just focused on his shoes.

Throughout their trip across the city, Rock noticed several people snapping photos of them. Iori had changed back into his borderline illegal shorts, and the baseball cap wasn't doing a good job keeping his hair under control. Of course, it wasn't the worst thing he'd worn, but it would probably make it onto the ' _Yagami's shitty outfits'_ blog.

Yeah, that Vegemite fiasco was probably also online by now. Rock might be able to find footage of himself staring at the ceiling like an idiot. Apparently Iori was online a lot anyways so this incident wouldn't matter much to him. The man was drowning in tapes, many which were _actual violent assault_. Pressing charges would be the easiest thing in the world. If Kyo Kusanagi actually hated his rival as much as he claimed to, Iori would undoubtedly be jailed a hundred times over.

Perhaps bribes were paid, or they'd come to an agreement, but Rock really doubted it. Iori Yagami wasn't the type to learn from his mistakes. Hell, generally he outright refused to admit mistakes at all, much less learn from them. He carried about an absolute confidence in whatever he was doing, _especially_ if it was mind-bogglingly stupid.

Thus, Rock wasn't surprised when ' _being thrown fifty feet in the air'_ failed to leave any lasting impression on his boss whatsoever. Either he was so accustomed to ' _almost dying'_ that he'd become jaded to near-death experiences, or he had actually lost all his marbles.

He recalled having serious misgivings about the next four weeks of tour as they trudged out of the luggage pick-up, onto the street. Athena Asamiya wasn't the flat, ditzy pop-idol Rock had expected her to be. She was fairly uptight, and actually rather mature. When he spoke to her on the phone, it was like a breath of fresh air. He was finally talking to a sane person! A normal one!

Then she threw Iori Yagami fifty feet into the air without so much as lifting a finger.

 _Everyone's crazy… everyone…_

"What the hell! Watch it kid!"

Rock panicked as someone grabbed him by the the shirt and wrenched him back into the sidewalk. An older gentleman with a briefcase and a pipe had yanked him out of the path of a speeding white convertible. It zipped past him, and Rock felt the blast of air and the rush of unwelcome adrenaline. They were on a pedestrian 'island' in the middle of a wide street, and Rock hadn't even noticed they were crossing the road.

"Pay attention young man. It's dangerous."

"I'm sorry sir...uh, thanks."

Rock took a deep breath and shelved his thoughts. Man... He really did need a nap. The sun seemed too bright, and the colors were too glaring. Things were shifting around in his vision and his legs were getting heavier and heavier. There was fever in his brain, and the shrimp sandwich he had earlier wasn't sitting well in his stomach. He was feeling pretty miserable, and he did his best to hide it.

It's not like Iori would do anything differently if Rock let him know. The man was a slavedriver, and a merciless one. He didn't seem to care about much at all, and if Rock complained, he would probably say something along the lines of: _'Suck it up, Howard. We're on Tour.'_

Rock raised his head to look around for his boss. He was met with a pointed stare. Apparently Iori had watched Rock nearly walk into traffic, and was squinting at him. After a moment, he seemed to forget the whole incident and returned to his argument with the venue planner.

* * *

 _Leona runs that blog lol_

 _Poor duckling needs a nap._

1like 1pray


	6. High as a Kite

_Yag is only sorta an asshole this round._

 _Rock might still punch him in the gut._

* * *

 _I don't know what Yashiro fed this kid, but I swear he's high as a kite._

It'd only been a couple of hours since they left the airport, and Iori still needed to stop by the concert hall to figure out the wiring for the speakers, mics and guitars. He had just gotten done with the piano store to secure a grand for Shermie. A pianist of her calibur wouldn't touch anything less. He also needed a high quality drum shield for Kensou cause the guy was bound to be loud as all fuck.

 _I'd bet my left nut he can't keep time… I'm gonna make him sleep with a metronome on._

Athena was supposed to be helping him do this stuff, but she had walked into the airport covered in shit, then tossed him at the ceiling for questioning her. The reaction did seem a _bit_ extreme, but then again, that's what people always told him when he did anything. Iori thought it was best to just finish dry-heaving and cast the incident from his memory.

Unfortunately Athena going AWOL meant he had 48 hours to get everything sorted for CYS and Rock. He had enlisted the help of the second most incompetent venue planner on this hemisphere. The 'first' most incompetent was the one who organized his Japan concerts. Well, there was no prize for last place, but this lady truly knew nothing, and whatever she professed to know ended up being wrong. Something that could've been done over the phone now needed to be done in person. He'd need to take a trip to the opera house.

Howard, the only one who had been somewhat dependable on this short trip, had either smoked a kilo of weed, or Yashiro had fed him shrooms. He was meandering around like a zombie, and had wandered off twice already. After he nearly walked into traffic, Iori and was tempted to send him to the hotel with the luggage. However, Rock really was trying his best to hide the fact he was stoned to shit, and Iori decided he'd just do the kid a favour and overlook it.

 _Probably afraid I'll tell his dad or something. Geese is kinda a scary guy…_

Anyways, Iori needed to get all this stuff sorted today, because tomorrow was gonna be rehearsals. Athena was a one-woman-show, so she could afford to have shitty musicians around her. If they were just playing her songs, he and Shermie could just sightread and it'd probably be better then whoever Athena normally had. Unfortunately, his songs were much more technical and it was important that it ran at exactly 94 beats per minute. He was gonna strangle Athena's drummer boyfriend if he couldn't keep the time.

… _if he's a complete amateur, then what am I supposed to do? Can Yashiro do drums? I'll have to find someone if-_

Iori stumbled forward as Rock walked directly into him. The teenager made a surprised noise and immediately began apologizing. The red-haired man turned to observe him carefully before continuing onwards. Rock looked like an absolute wreck, and if couldn't play tomorrow, Iori was gonna tear Yashiro a new one.

 _Fucking asshole, drugging up my guitarist… ugh. What do I do with this kid?! Am I on babysitting duty again? Jeez… that's it up ahead isn't it?_

The hotel Athena had booked for them was a block down the next cross street. Iori could only appreciate how fancy it was when he rounded the corner and go closer. If Athena intended to treat them this well, why did she throw a tantrum at the airport? Ah well. Iori supposed there was nothing to be done about that. If she wanted to kill him, she could've just dropped him. Even he'd die from a fifty foot fall.

 _Hah... women can get pretty scary._

Iori planned to drop Rock and the luggage before taxi-ing himself over to yell at the venue lady. The suitcases he was dragging were becoming heavy. Normally he'd ask Rock to carry more, but the kid was high and he couldn't be trusted to hold onto anything of importance… hm. Hopefully he still had his passport. Everything else could be easily replaced.

Iori turned to demand his junior's travel documents, but froze when he saw his guitarist had disappeared again. He peered into the crowd. A sea of people he didn't recognize stared back. He threw his head back to query about Rock's whereabouts.

"YOU LITTLE IDIOT! Where the hell did you go this time!"

 _I'mma strangle this kid._

* * *

 _'Women can get pretty scary' - lol yeah bruh. You've got no idea. Ever heard of devilmom?_


	7. Scary Purple Lady

_I don't hate Rock Howard I swear. I love the little duckling._

 _He got his nap, but ofc Athena goes after him._

 _poor baby._

* * *

 _*Knock… Knock… *_

Rock Howard groaned, half-conscious, into his pillow. The rough fabric of his belt scratched up against his hip and it itched, but he was too tired and too comfortable to flip over and fiddle with his clothes. He opted to ignore the itch, ignore the unwelcome sound at his door and just go back to sleep. He never wanted to leave his bed again.

 _*Knock… Herro?*_

He cracked open an eye and stared at the thick silken curtains which covered the window. Rock remembered thinking he'd never seen curtains that fancy outside of a congressional building. Well, he really didn't really have time appreciate the luxury of the hotel, as he was quite literally dragged and thrown into bed by his angry employer. Five hours prior, Iori had taken a left, Rock hadn't, and suddenly he had one of the deadliest people on the face of the earth screeching his name and tearing down the street toward him.

 _Anyone's_ natural reaction was to freak out and run like a lunatic, which was exactly what Rock's fatigued brain decided to do. He actually got pretty far since Iori was carrying nearly fifty pounds of luggage. He managed to duck into a clothing store and hide among the customers before he realized what he was doing.

The teenager was seriously considering escaping back to the States rather than confronting Iori. He was worried he might not survive the latest round of insanity and wished he could call Athena to teleport him away, _can she do that?_ Well, at least she didn't seem like she'd set him on fire for getting lost.

 _She might throw you at the sky though... no, no... she was just mad... I hope to god she's not crazy 'cuz I can't deal with two crazies, I'll die. For real I'll die._

Unfortunately he had stupidly left his cellphone in Florida on the bathroom sink top. He had managed to memorize Athena's number when she called Iori's phone with the anticipation it'd come in handy. He was glad he did. He needed to find a payphone, then hopefully she'd either send him home, or stop Iori from killing him.

He carefully listened for his boss before deciding the coast was clear. There was a payphone directly across the street. Rock burst out of the clothing store, and made a beeline for it. As per usual, luck laughed at him. Iori had climbed the building like some horrible human spider and spotted him. The moment he stepped out of the store his boss landed behind him and tackled him to the ground, snarling all the while. Rock almost died on the spot and actually started hyperventilating.

 _Goddamn, nobody told me he could climb buildings like that… jeez…_

Well, needless to say, Rock didn't die that day. He _did_ almost get his arm wrenched out though. Iori had dragged him through the streets, into the hotel, up the elevator, and was locked him in his room with the luggage. Rock was so happy to see a bed, he wasn't even angry about it.

"Herro! Lok How-er? Herro! 快点起床!"

 _...Wha?_

* * *

"Over here, Mr. Howard."

Rock tried to suppress a yawn as he walked into one of the Hotel's restaurants. Sie Kensou had done his best to explain Athena had invited him to join her for dinner. He hadn't elaborated on the dress code, so Rock had just gone down to the restaurant in whatever he'd been wearing for the past twenty eight hours.

It took him only a few moments to realize he was extremely underdressed. Up until now, he had only been subject to acute embarrassment with Iori around, and Iori took the brunt of it. But now Rock was at it alone - and it felt considerably worse. At least when his boss was strutting around in a bathrobe, him wearing a t-shirt during a formal gathering didn't seem so bad.

 _I didn't even bring a suit… All I have are T-shirts anyways. Damn, everyone's dressed so nice too._

Rock hardly recognized Athena until she waved him over to the table. She was wearing a black bob-cut wig and an evening dress, evidently in an attempt to hide her identity. Everyone in the room was dressed to the nines, and Rock looked like he just got done playing basketball. He took a seat and tried to shrink into it.

"Uh… I'm really sorry… I didn't know there was a dress code."

"It's alright, you'll know for next time. Have a seat. I hope you like Italian."

At her signal, the waiter handed him an elaborate menu and gave his attire a disapproving look. He was keenly aware of Athena carefully studying him as he flipped through the entrees. What was the purpose of this meeting? Was she mad at him for asking her to go to the Airport? Surely she wasn't going to blame him for Iori throwing that shit at her. I mean, really that'd just be _crazy._

 _And she's not crazy... please, god, don't let her be crazy._

She also picked up a menu, but contented herself with observing him from behind it. She spoke while boring holes in his forehead.

"The carpaccio is fantastic. I'd recommend it, but only if you like your steak rare… _raw_ actually. How do you eat your steak, Mr. Howard."

"Um… m-medium?"

"You should try it anyways. You should try new things."

"Yes, ma'am..."

Athena nodded sharply then called the waiter over. Rock fidgeted in his seat and glanced about. He didn't know what he was looking for, but all he knew was Athena was making him uneasy. She was giving off a weird vibe and Rock would rather have Iori deal with it. He eyed the door and willed Iori to burst through. Sure, he'd probably be shouting at someone and wearing a kimono, but as long as he helped to deal with this scary purple lady, Rock was glad to have him.

 _I can't believe I'm thinking that… but seriously, where are you boss?!_

Athena was either completely normal, or absolutely insane. She wasn't 'Iori' crazy either. When he had an episode, everyone in a file mile radius knew. Neither was he particularly malicious - just sort of an asshole. If Athena was a crazy, she was the crafty, dangerous kind who might stab him in the ribs for saying something wrong.

 _This is like the worst interview ever… no! she's normal alright! Normal..._

"Alright Mr. Howard. First, I'd like to congratulate you. It's a miracle that someone with your experience is participating in this concert. Normally I'd never allow it, but… well, my business partner insisted. So, I want to be straightforward with you as the situation doesn't allow for pleasantries. Please don't be offended or discouraged. Just listen and learn, alright?"

Rock sank further into his seat. Athena's voice was soft and contrasted sharply with her rather thorny speech. She kept tapping the floor with her foot and gripped her wineglass tightly between her fingers. Her face was kind, but she was clearly annoyed - as if she was trying to hide her expression. It looked like the two sides of her face were fighting with each other and it was making Rock's stomach turn in nervousness. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

 _Business partner?... Iori insisted? No way, all he does is yell at me for screwing up during practice…_

When she opened her mouth again, Rock could hear the annoyance seeping through. He braced himself for crazy and offered up brief prayer.

"I looked you up and I found you've never performed before. In fact, you haven't been in a commercial band at all. Your musical career up until this point, besides for a month with Yagami, was 10th grade marching band... Is this correct?"

"Ye-"

She slammed her small fist down on the tabletop, and raised her voice. The silverware rattled and jumped. Rock flinched backwards so violently his chair almost tipped.

"THEN! You must be a genius! Are you a genius? Yagami says you are, so you better be. He says you're a better guitarist than he is, and he wouldn't come without you. Your _fairy godmother_ is the only reason you're here. This is my breakout performance and I _don't_ need some rookie screwing stuff up. Thursday's concert has fifty thousan-... ehm… excuse me."

 _Oh, no no no... Goddammit Iori, what kinda shit did you get me into?! oh god..._

Athena leaned back into her seat, closed her eyes and released a long sigh. She appeared to be counting to herself in a different language. After a moment, she sat up. She still looked fierce, but she appeared apologetic. Rock didn't relax at all.

"Please excuse that little outburst. Pre-concert stress, it's a big event and… well, what I want to say is this."

She fixed him with an intense stare.

"Mr. Howard, you're playing in the big leagues now, so I want you to take this seriously. I know Yagami is vouching for you, I have no idea why he brought you instead of his senior guitarist, but on stage, nobody cares. The moment you step up there, the world is watching every move you make. If you mess up, it's shame on my head. Do you understand?"

"... yes ma'am."

"Good. Don't disappoint me."

She stood up, paid the bill, and disappeared.

After a moment, the waiter brought him a plate of raw beef.

He didn't even touch it.

* * *

 _So yeah, The concert is really really big. it's #2 and #3 doing a dual performance and it's gonna be huge. Rock Howard has no business being there._

 _Athena's not actually crazy, she's just high strung._

 _Cheers_

 _Pls rex, dont kill me_


	8. Swordfish

_I just realized how long this fic is gonna be. It's just gonna be a ton of short chapters. :0. We haven't even hit the first actual concert yet._

Well, let's see how long you guys can put up with autistic comedy.

Spanish Yag is back hehe.

* * *

*Brrrr*

*Brrrr*

* _Rock Howard_ is not available, please leave a message after the beep… _BEEP_ *

Iori glared at his cellphone and left a message.

" _(inhale) QUE TE FOLLE UN PEZ ESPADA_! YOU LITTLE SHIT!... PICK UP THE FUCKING PHONE!"

* _Beep_ *

Iori muttered to himself, then pocketed his cellphone. It was getting late and the beautiful Australian sun was beginning to set over the sea. Seagulls called to each other. People murmured and bustled all about. The sky was painted with the colours of the sunset and cast a peaceful pink hue over the city.

A peace that was loudly and abruptly broken by Iori screaming at the top of his lungs. People stopped to stare, and a couple of cars honked angrily at him, but Iori had never cared about public opinion, and wasn't about to start now. He flipped off the cars and anyone still frowning at him, then power-walked down the block.

 _If Howard doesn't pick up, I swear I will break down his door and strangle him. The brat has all my luggage…_

Iori glowered at nothing as he strode through the Hotel's automatic doors. A butler greeted him at the entrance, but Iori strode past without acknowledging him. Whoever decorated the hotel lobby really loved crystal chandeliers. Iori counted eight before he got angry at them and fixed his eyes on the front desk. There was an innocent looking woman sitting there with a smile. She seemed pretty happy with her life thus far, so one ruined day wouldn't kill her.

"Hello sir! Welcome to th-"

"Get me room 273."

He planted both hands on the counter and leaned forward menacingly. The woman was struggling to maintain her smile and began glancing about nervously. Unfortunately she was the only one manning the front desk at the moment and would have to deal with him on her own. Iori just glared at her until she stuttered a reply.

"Uh- um, sir, who are you? For security reasons I can't-"

Iori started hissing. The woman began to panic and several guests approached them with the intent of helping her. Iori snarled at them until they backed off and scurried away. Riot woke up from the commotion and began complaining inside his head. _That_ managed to get him wild-eyed. Riot really chose the worst times to show up and start making noise.

 _Riot! Please._

" _DUCKLING."_

"Shut up, okay? I'm busy! Go back to sleep!"

The receptionist's face visibly drained of colour and she slowly stepped back from the table. Some of the guests recognized him and started filming from a distance. Iori couldn't care less he was on camera. He went ahead and threatened to commit murder-arson anyways.

"I will burn down the building, so help me. Get room 273 on the phone, and keep calling until that little fucker picks up. When he does, tell him to come down to the lobby 'cuz I'm going to choke him with his own intestines."

"S-sir! I'm calling the poli-"

"FUCKING CALL HOWARD FIRST YOU BITC-..."

A set of automatic doors to his left opened, and a dejected looking Rock Howard stepped through. He was holding a small take-out box and there were bags beneath his eyes. He was quite obviously wallowing in misery and concentrated on the floor as he slowly made his way across the lobby. Iori pushed off the front desk and walked off to intercept him. The receptionist continued dialing the police.

"Oy, How-"

Rock seemed to have a mini-seizure at the sound of Iori's voice. The teenager whirled, caught sight of him, stumbled backwards, then tripped over the lobby furniture. He went sprawling, and managed to spill his take-out box of … _raw red meat?_ All over a business woman's luggage. He began stuttering apologies to everyone in earshot. He looked just about ready to cry.

 _What the hell… did Yashiro drug him again?_

"S-sorry ma'am. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean… no, I'm not hurt, I jus-... Uh… h-hi boss… "

Iori marched over and squinted down at his guitarist as he picked himself off the ground. The business woman shook her luggage clear of sticky, ground beef and walked to another set of couches in the lobby, leaving them alone. Several people crept around them with phone cameras.

Iori opened his mouth to shout at the teenager, but after a moment, decided against it. He needed Rock bright eyed and ready for rehearsals tomorrow. The kid needed to learn three new songs perfectly in the space of 10 hours, then learn how to act on-stage. He had a lot of work in front of him, and scaring him shitless beforehand wouldn't help anyone.

So Iori took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let his anger run its course. After a long moment, he addressed the depressed guitarist.

"Howard, are you still high?"

"... uh. I-... _what?_ "

"Did you eat dinner?"

"... no. Athena-"

"Want barbeque?"

"Bar-"

"Let's go."

* * *

"Howard, where's your cellphone."

"Mmph?... urm… urths."

Iori rolled his eyes, wiped AI sauce from his cheek, then gestured for his guitarist to finish chewing. They were sitting in a busy smokehouse on the main street and didn't exchange a word for the first ten minutes. Only once they've gotten through a pound of ribs each did Iori begin questioning his guitarist.

"I… uh, left it at home."

"Home as in hotel? Or..."

Rock's mood had improved significantly once he got some food in him. He looked like he was about to break down in the hotel, but now he seemed to have forgotten whatever woes he had been mulling over. Iori wasn't sure what had happened, and honestly, he wasn't particularly interested. He just needed his guitarist mostly sane for rehersals and for the performances thereafter.

"Yeah… about that. Uh. I left it back in Florida when I was packing. I'm really sorry."

Iori let the piece of meat he was working on drop the the plate. He fixed the teenager with a deadpan. A group of fans attempted to approach him for pictures and signatures, but Iori flipped them off without so much as a glance. They glanced nervously at each other before dispersing. Rock was beginning to look dejected again. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at the tabletop.

"... are you _fucking_ serious? Florida?!"

Rock glanced up at him briefly before looking back at the table. He seemed to shrink in on himself. Iori paused to pull the meat off a set of ribs with his teeth. His hands were absolutely dripping with barbeque sauce, but he jabbed a finger at his guitarist anyways. Rock was already essentially covered in sauce, so a bit more wouldn't make a difference.

"You need to tell me this shit! Goddammit man, I've been trying to contact you for the last two hours. I've _literally_ filled your voicemail-box! Why didn't you-... tch… Finish eating. Verizon's down the street."

He shut his eyes, huffed, then glanced sadly at his half finished beer. He intended to get pleasantly drunk tonight, but if he needed to be sober to buy cell service. If Rock Howard wasn't a literal musical prodigy, Iori would never take him anywhere. _Damn this kid. Haah, but nobody can do what he can. Little brat._

The _little brat_ was staring at him all starry eyed, and Iori wasn't appreciating it. He got enough of that with the KOF junkies and Band-fans, he didn't need it from his guitarist as well. He glared backu until Rock got distracted by the last rack of ribs and got started on them.

* * *

 _One day Rock will meet Riot._

 _That'll be fun._

 _Haha, Ioir's a mushy guy pretending to be a hardass. (screams in tsundere)_


	9. My Guitarist

_Wiki said that Rock Howard can perfectly copy any song he hears. I dunno how many of you doods play instruments, but that's CRAZY hard. It's one thing to be able to snag the key, and sorta imitate the melody, but to actually reproduce- note for note- a song you hear ONCE? Like, hoo boi. You've got perfect pitch, you know your instrument inside out, you're pretty much a genius. Like seriously, Mozart genius._

 _It also says Rock likes Touring :)_

 _lol, don't worry. by the time the YagamiAthena Tour is finished, he'll like touring._

* * *

"No buying drugs from Yashiro."

" _What?_ I'm not-"

"I'm serious. If I catch you snorting coke, I'm taking it, then I'm telling your dad."

"Wait! I'm not a druggie! Where did you get the idea I'm a druggie?"

Iori rolled his eyes and rested his arm against the Bank Teller's counter. Rock had gone up the the window with him and protested. He had to pause momentarily to slot a newly printed debit card into his wallet, but continued nevertheless. Iori had given him a tentative budget of ' _Be Reasonable'_ and started talking money transfer with the teller lady, completely ignoring any other defenses the teenager offered.

 _Did he just decide that I was a druggie? I mean I've never touched drugs!... Where is this debit card attached to… what does 'be reasonable' mean… does it mean there's no built-in limit?... no way._

Rock tried to query if he was now attached to Iori's bank account, then huffed as he was ignored. It was a quiet huff though- he didn't dare complain loud enough for Iori to hear.

Rock pondered his new spending authority, and briefly imagined what Iori's reaction would be if he tried to buy a yacht on his bosses dime. His brain supplied the image of the red-haired man actually breathing fire. Rock rapidly cast the thought from his mind and continued setting up his new phone. It was the newest model, and not because Rock had requested it. He wouldn't dare spend someone else's money frivolously, and especially not his boss's, and _especially_ not because his boss was dangerous and halfway insane. _Yeah, no boats!_ Nevertheless, Iori had almost _disdainfully_ purchased his guitarist an 800$ phone, mostly because he just bought whatever the salesman pointed at.

 _I don't even know if he's being generous… He was just angry the entire time._

It was already late by the time they arrived at the phone store, and Iori was getting scary. Rock knew the anger originated because of him, but _for whatever reason_ had been deflected to the Verizon employee. When Iori confronted him about his phone situation over dinner, Rock was ready to - _at the very least -_ get loudly chewed out in public. Maybe even lose a few teeth and suffer a burn or two. Much to his relief, the news had blown over rather smoothly and Iori hadn't gotten angry… _right away._

As they strode through the busy streets, Rock noticed his boss had begun muttering and growling threats to himself. The longer they walked, the angrier he got, and the worse Rock felt. It was now clear that Iori had suppressed his anger, and it was now leaking out.

 _Since when did he have any self control…_

Iori had a habit of unloading all his stress on whoever he first laid eyes on. This time, the phone salesman was dished out some top-quality Yagami-snark. The poor little man was subject to 'the most entitled person on the planet' getting in his face and raising hell in the little phone shop. Rock just tried to blend in with the rest of the customers as Iori burst through the door, cut the entire line, and demanded to be given the " _Best Phone. Now. NO, I won't go to the back of the line! It's their fault they're standing there! (etc...)"_

 _The salesperson actually handled the situation pretty well… tough guy. Heh, I feel kinda bad. Iori wouldn't even be there if I hadn't left my phone._

The important thing was Iori's anger was now spent. He had a short fuse, but his anger didn't burn long at all. He had walked out of the Verizon store looking pleased with himself. By the time they got to the bank window, he was happy as a clam and proceeded to calmly make small talk with the teller.

"Yeah, a twenty grand down payment to the Opera house… wire it so it's sitting there tomorrow morning, those guys won't do anything until they see green… yeah? Hehe, I'll hire you as the venue manager next time... cash please… uh, five grand equivalents?... thank you... _Howard!_ "

Rock raised his head and blinked back to reality. Iori waved a wad of cash at him and fixed him with a stern stare.

"No drugs."

"... sure boss."

* * *

Grueling.

Absolutely grueling.

If Iori had been a slavedriver before, he was now promoted to drill-sergeant-dictator-lunatic. Rock wasn't even taking the brunt of it! Iori had set him up in a corner with a pile of sheet music and an instrumental version of Athena's song on repeat. He had requested Rock learn the secondary-bass portion in the space of 1 hour. Sure, it might be tough for a lesser guitarist, but the melody was simple enough that Rock had it down almost instantly.

 _The audition was much harder… not even anything complicated in this song…_

Iori probably would've been hovering over him and criticizing his rhythm if his attention wasn't entirely consumed by Kensou on the drums. Apparently Athena's drummer was tapping away between 93.5 and 94.5 beats per minute, and that _just wasn't okay._ Rock was getting pretty good at counting time just from being around his manic boss, but he honestly couldn't tell the difference. Kensou had evidently thought he was pretty good, and his confidence was obviously taking a hit with that demon waving a metronome at him.

" _94! How hard is 94! Get it right before I make you swallow this fucking metronome!"_

Rock had no idea what Iori was saying, as he was screaming in Japanese, but could guess quite easily. Just watching him pace around, breathing murder and freaking out whenever Kensou so much as touched the drums was enough to fill Rock with apprehension. Well, Iori's band practices were pretty much a single, long freakout session anyways - but having Iori breathing down your back wasn't something that you really got used to.

 _He might choke me out when he comes over here… I swear I've got this down perfectly but… I think I'll go through one more time…_

On the other side of the room, Shermie and Athena were putting together the Concert's pacing and mulling over what appeared to be _fashion magazines?_ \- Rock couldn't tell from his corner. Shermie was supposed to be on the piano, but she wasn't practicing anything at all. The grand piano Iori had rented for her was sitting all wrapped up in the corner, and hadn't been touched. Yashiro was nowhere to be seen. Surprisingly, Iori seemed to have no problem whatsoever with them slacking off. Did they already rehearse? Or were that just _that_ good.

 _Iori and Yashiro were… rival bands for a while, right? So I guess CYS must've been pretty damn good. I guess this is typical for them… I mean, Iori's not rehearsing either. Is he that comfortable on-stage?_

Rock frowned down at his bass guitar and continued picking out the melody which flowed from his headphones. Iori's and Athena's standards were high - Rock knew that, but until now he'd never felt inadequate in the musical department. During practice, Iori found _tons_ of things wrong with his technique, his timing, everything. Rock had to admit he was playing much better than before, but always felt like his boss was nit-picking. Was Yashiro, the lead guitar, really so good that Iori found nothing wrong with him?

 _Maybe Iori's not nit-picking after all... Maybe my guitar isn't as good as I thought... damn..._

Just _how_ much better was Yashiro compared to him? And Rock had seen Shermie's piano sheets - they were _really_ complex. She felt no need to recite them? More importantly, Iori wasn't _making_ her recite them? Kensou was currently suffering the wrath of hell for the sake of a minuscule half-bpm, and Rock's timing still wasn't that good.

 _... I always thought I was pretty good, and Iori's just crazy... but maybe I'm actually as inadequate as he says I am..._

Honestly though, a half beat or a slight mistuning wouldn't make or break him onstage. No. What would really bring him down was the _stage fright._ If he froze up, or hit the wrong string, or started hyperventilating, or tripped over the cords, or the lights were too bright and blinded him, or his music sheets got mussed and out of order _..._

 _A million-and-a-half things can go wrong... when then? What do I do then?!_

Everyone else on the band, _maybe excluding Kensou,_ were seasoned veterans on stage. They were comfortable performing in front of an audience, too comfortable in some cases. Just yesterday Iori had walked into his 300-person calculus lecture dressed like an Instagram model - and he didn't give a shit. Rock found himself stuttered if he had to speak in front of a class of 30 students. How was he gonna survive with fifty-thousand people and a camera fixed on him?

 _This is too much… what did I get into? What did Iori drag me into!? This thing starts tomorrow afternoon and I've never done anything like this! Maybe Athena's right, I'm not supposed to be here… why did Iori bring me?!_

If Rock froze up and freaked out, it wouldn't matter how well he knew the songs, or how many times he had practiced. He just wasn't going to be able to play. He would ruin the concert. Iori was going to burn him to crisp. Athena was going to turn him inside out. He was going home in a bodybag...

 _I'm not supposed to be here... I'm not ready... what do I do if... no... I can't do this... I can't..._

Iori obviously hadn't thought very hard about his junior band member's mental state when he dragged Rock out of calculus lecture. Didn't he know Rock was a shy kid and would probably suffer stage fright? It should've been obvious - anyone paying attention could tell. Wait, did Iori pay him any attention at all? He didn't seem to care about anything or anyone. He probably saw Rock like a MP3, and only valued him for the music he could produce. Had he just brought Rock along and expected him to become a performer overnight? Just place a huge responsibility on his shoulders and expect him to keep up?

 _I… I can't do this! How am I supposed to do this?! This isn't fair! I'm not ready! Damnit, this whole band thing was a mistake! I wanna go home. I shouldn't have even tried to join that Psycho's band! Look where it's gotten-_

 _*TWANG!*_

In his apprehension, Rock yanked the string with his pick, and a unsightly noise followed by the screech of feedback emitted from the amplifier. By the time the noise faded, Kensou had stopped playing and Iori had stopped yelling. Both were staring at him.

 _Shit._

Iori visibly gritted his teeth, slammed the ticking metronome on Kensou's side-table, then began stalking toward Rock's corner. The guitarist swore he could see the beginnings of insanity in those dark eyes, but this time, he wasn't just going to sit there and take it. Instead of fear, he felt anger. Uncharacteristic anger. It rose from his chest and filled his head until it hurt.

 _..-can't take this. I won't take it! Who does he think he is?!_

If Iori didn't even pay enough attention to him to realize he couldn't perform in front of fifty thousand people on a two-day notice, then why was Rock slaving away for? What obligation did Rock owe him? Sure, #1 band, #2 band, who cares, he deserved _some_ respect! He was a human being after all! Iori had essentially kidnapped him, flew him to the other side of the earth, and threw him into the deep end without checking if he could swim.

 _Are you trying to embarrass me? Does it give you some sick pleasure to ruin people's lives? You think you're so much better than I am, that you can just do whatever you want, huh?! HUH?!_

Anger flared and Rock's countenance darkened. His brain was muddy and hazy, so much that he didn't even realize he wasn't thinking straight. He stood up, letting the guitar fall carelessly to the floor, and yanked out his earbuds. He threw a wild kick at his pile of sheet music. The papers scattered every which way and some floated offstage. He met Iori's glare with an uncharacteristic snarl.

 _BRING IT ON! You think you can spit in my eye like this?! I'll ruin you!_

Iori walked right up to him, stopped and crossed his arms over his chest. Iori stood there with narrowed eyes, there was the curl on contempt on his lip. The _stupid_ happy face shirt he was wearing smiled at Rock and was making him angry. The guitarist stared boldy upwards to meet his boss's gaze. His thoughts flew around in his brain and grew more and more potent each time he mulled them over. In the space of two minutes, he had thoroughly convinced himself that Iori Yagami was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

 _The worst person on the face of the earth!_

Iori sighed, seemed to bite his tongue, then opened his mouth to speak. He had softened his voice considerably, but Rock didn't notice. He was already at his breaking point. His eyes were wild and his rage was bubbling over. He had involuntarily balled his hands into fists, and he heard a knuckle crack.

"Alright Howard. Sit down and play it once fo- _*THUD*"_

The red-haired man didn't expect to be punched. He was in ' _Audition-mode_ ' not _'battle-mode' so_ he took the full brunt of the blow sharply to the cheekbone. He reeled from the impact and nearly stumbled off the stage.

Punching Iori Yagami in the face as hard as he could spent up all of Rock's anger immediately. He blinked as if coming out of a haze.

The first thing Rock noticed was Kensou's mouth was actually hanging open in shock. Athena and Shermie were staring from across the room. Iori had regained his footing, but was clutching his cheek and hissing. Rock started, looked at his fist, then at his boss's hunched form. The fading anger rapidly turned to fear as he realized what he had just done.

 _Oh fuck! Oh fuck! What was I thinking! Oh God!_

Rock turned on his heel and sprinted for the backroom exit. A terrible roar followed him.

" _Gaah! FUCK! HOWARRD! WHAT THE FUCK!_ "

* * *

 _So, As I continue writing Rock, I feel like he's really similar to Kyo. Both think too much and convince themselves of stuff, both have a breaking point where they just go nuts (NESTS for Kyo; just general 'anger limit' for Rock). Except Rock is pretty shy, and sorta scared of Yag. Kyo actively provokes bby and doesn't mind duking it out._

 _hehehe... looks like Shermie's gonna havta help Iori cover up that bruise._

 _Look at Yag trying to be nice. Oy, the law of this universe is 'no good deed goes unpunished'. Continue being an asshole and you'll be ok. :0_

hehehe... Stakes are rising. Looks like there's gonna be a plot after all.

* Yag snorts coke


	10. Aqua Punch

_Boop boop. Kensou Character development? yaaass queen._

 _Yag is ultimate Tsundere._

* * *

"... What's he doing?"

"He's trying to fight the ocean, Sie."

"Oh. Wow."

Athena released an exasperated sigh as she stared out the window. She'd been annoyed ever since the Airport incident, and Kensou could feel the irritation wafting off of her. He was doing his best to be supportive, but his encouragements didn't seem to penetrate the aura of aggravation that seemed to sit over his girlfriend like a dark cloud. The best he could do was just stay at her side and keep her company. He placed a hand on her shoulder and stared out the window at the purple glow attacking the waves. A great column of steam rose skywards, reaching for the bright morning sun. Seagulls circled and beachgoers ogled.

 _Always causing a scene isn't he?... heh, I mean I guess it's a pretty fun way to live._

In some ways, Iori Yagami was the polar opposite to Athena. When it came to her career, Athena conducted herself with the upmost professionalism. Concert details were planned weeks beforehand - every move was choreographed and rehearsed, everything was perfect. It had to be, Athena wouldn't settle for anything less. Her public appearances as "Athena Asimaya" were similarly planned prepared for. If she was leaving the house without a disguise, it meant there wasn't a hair out of place. Athena took her career seriously, and didn't appreciate people throwing wrenches into the machinery of the pop-idol routine.

Iori, on the other hand, had once showed up to an official music awards fan dressed in a woman's gym clothes, and the most god awful hairstyle he could come up with. He was anything but professional, but he worked like a dog and was sort of scary, so things eventually sorted themselves. Supposably he took a different approach toward the public. He focused solely on his fans, and didn't give a shit about anyone else - hence the music awards. In a very peculiar ' _Us vs Them'_ mentality, he had managed to gather a sort of rabid following which had only expanded over the years. His public bouts of insanity seemed to further his career, rather than dampen it.

 _I mean, he's crazy, but you don't get to #3 by not taking things seriously… which, I guess, is why he's been yelling at me all morning._

Kensou frowned out the window. The steam cloud seemed to be shrinking and gradually revealed that the air around the flame was crackling and distorting with heat. The purple glow sharpened into a figure as it emerged from the steam. He was marching back toward the Opera house and was tracking amorphous glass footprints across the pristine beaches. Yup, Iori Yagami was a _giant_ wrench in Athena's works… and apparently he'd brought some rookie kid along to help mess stuff up. Athena had been complaining endlessly about the teenager all last night.

 _I guess the kid's as crazy as his boss… I mean, not many people are gutsy enough to punch Yagami in the face. Why did he do that though? He seemed like a pretty timid kid..._

"Sie," Kensou blinked out of his thoughts and turned his head to look at Athena. She stared forward as she spoke, there was a note of despair in her voice. Kensou felt his heart drop.

"Look at us, we perform tomorrow and only half of us are even here. Yashiro probably forgot we had rehearsal, Howard's probably running for the airport, Yagami's spent the last twenty minutes punching water… this is going to be a disaster… _a disaster... god!_ "

She exhaled forcefully and slumped into one of the audience benches. She leaned back and let her neck hang over the backrest as she stared at the vaulted ceilings. Kensou sat down beside her and rested a hand on her knee. He didn't know how to comfort her, everything she said was true. The situation really was a bit out of hand, and Kensou hated that he couldn't do anything. He was fine being that friendly shoulder Athena could rely on, but _just that_? Was he to be useless otherwise? Only good for being an emotional crutch, because otherwise he was incapable? _What sort of man would I be if I don't try and fix the situation… haah… shit._

The side door opened and Iori extinguished his flames before stepping into the building. Judging from the look on his face, that little tantrum he threw wasn't enough to clear his head. He was clearly upset as he made his way across the hall, and not just the superficial ' _Prepare to die *contestant*'_ upset, or the ' _I'm frustrated so I'm going to cause a scene for kicks'_ upset. He looked like he'd just lost something important, and was pissed off, but mostly stressed out about it.

Kensou summoned his courage and stood from his seat. He was sure to measure his steps confidently as he went to intercept the other man. He eyed the darkening bruise on the red-haired man's cheek and briefly wondered if he'd broken a tooth or something. Iori was obviously pretty distracted by whatever had happened because he jumped when Kensou called out to him. He turned and cast a weary, but baleful, gaze upon the drummer. Kensou did his best not to cringe beneath it. He swallowed the lump in his throat and put on his most authoritative voice.

"Yagami, we need to rehearse. If your friend isn't gonna perform, then you need to fill the position. And call Yashiro. We need the whole crew here."

Iori stopped walking and sized him up. Kensou did his best to meet his gaze steadily, but had to tilt his neck to look upwards. It annoyed him that he had to look up at someone he was trying to give orders to - it shook his confidence and threatened to throw a waver in his voice. He realized he was risking his life by trying to boss Iori around. He was keenly aware that Athena was watching from her seat in the benches. If something went awry, she could probably step in, but there was no guarantee he'd survive unscathed. _Or survive at all if he uses fire… Athena said that somehow her power doesn't penetrate through purple flames … damn, what am I doing to myself…_

Whatever worries Kensou harboured were for naught. The battle with the sea seemed to have drained all the fight out of Iori, and he was too busy sulking to start yelling again. He simply nodded curtly and climbed up on stage. He took what used to be Rock's seat, and busied himself flipping through sheet music and tuning the guitar. Kensou released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

 _I can't believe that worked… I mean, shit, hehe … he just finished screaming at me for that stupid 94 bpm… phew… uh, but I should probably wait an hour or so before I try the drums again… yeah…_

Kensou returned to his seat beside Athena and smiled tentatively at her. She seemed to chuckle to herself and leaned against his shoulder. They rested against each other to the soothing notes of the bass guitar.

* * *

Rock had run a full two blocks before he realized nobody was chasing him.

The sun was beating down on him and his lungs were burning. He could feel the hardness of the concrete through the soles of his sneakers as he sprinted down the sidewalk. The smell of exhaust permeated the air and caused his throat to itch. He squeezed between an old lady and a group of Chinese tourists before slowing to catch his breath.

"Young man! What are you-!"

"Sorry!... Excuse me!... Move!... "

It was still early in the morning - rush hour, actually, and the sidewalks were flooded with people. He had rudely shoved past businessmen and workers, even elbowing them, in his mission to ' _run for his life'_. On any other occasion he'd feel bad about it, but not today. Today _he was sure_ there was a demon chasing him. A very angry one.

 _He'll definitely kill me for that… DAMMIT! What was I thinking! He'll kill me! Gaah…_

Rock wasn't sure what happened. Usually when he was in a bad situation, he didn't suffer a drastic change in personality. Normally he'd just put his head down and plod along, dealing with problems as they arose. But this time his… no, _that_ crazy temper had broken loose. The person who roared and shouted and was shaking in rage several moments ago - that wasn't ' _Rock Howard'._ It was some hated vestige of the past. A remnant of his violent pedigree.

 _Geese, you bastard! Dammit… Gotta hide somewhere… I guess Iori lost me earlier, but he's definitely looking to tear my guts out._

Rock checked his surroundings _and_ the buildingtops before he ducked into a busy Starbucks and queued up. Nobody would be able to find him here, it was simply too packed with bodies for anyone to spot him from the outside. If he heard Iori storming past, he could probably hide in a bathroom or something and wait it out. He eyed the flow of pedestrians through the large glass windows, looking for red hair. After about a minute, Iori didn't appear and Rock let himself relax. He took in the savory smell of coffee and began studying the menu plaque as he shuffled along in line.

Phew.

That was close.

 _Haha… I'll get something to drink, then stay here for like, fifteen minutes. I'll taxi to the airport and fly home. I have Iori's bank card, so I can pay for a ticket. Wait, I should probably use cash so he can't trac-_

"Heeey Howard!"

Rock nearly jumped out of his skin, and knocked into the man behind him. He looked around wildly to find the source of the voice. It wasn't Iori's voice, and it wasn't angry in the least, but at this point he was trying to be incognito and being recognized wasn't going to do him any favours.

"Haha, did Yagami send you on a coffee run? Order me a frap, please. I completely forgot about rehearsal…"

A group of teenage girls moved aside, and Yashiro came into view. He grinned widely at the teenager as he carefully maneuvered his large frame through the crowd. Despite the care he took, people were still being bounced off him as he squeezed past. The men glared daggers, the women were far more accommodating.

"Oof… " Yashiro reached the teenager and grinned down at him. Rock stared up at him in horror. Yashiro was big enough to be clearly visible from the outside. If Iori came prowling past, he'd definitely come in here if he saw Yashiro. _What do I do…_

"I'm glad I found you, actually. Yagami's bound to flip when I arrive. If I've got you with me, then he'll ease off the insanity… are you alright kiddo?"

Rock was staring out the window. He swear he saw red-hair, but it was just somebody's bandanna. He tore his focus off the sidewalk when Yashiro tapped him on the shoulder. Yashiro looked concerned, so Rock decided to be truthful. Maybe Yashiro would help him escape Australia.

"You should really go alone… If Yagami sees me, he'll kill me."

"What are you talking about? He really likes you. Personally- " he leaned in and lowered his voice, cupping a hand around his mouth in a secretive gesture, "I think it's because he has a thing for blonde guys… yanno, _he's completely obsessed with Brian Battler..._ so, has Yagami asked you out yet?"

The concept was so ridiculous that Rock could do nothing but stare. He stopped walking and began holding up the line. Yashiro seemed to find his shock endlessly amusing and tossed his head back to laugh heartily.

"Heh, Guess that's a no. Welp, don't be surprised if he buys you shit or something, 'cause he's already spent a ton on you. He won't hurt you unless… I dunno, you cut off his leg or something."

Rock shook his head and moved along the line. He frowned and looked down at his new, expensive, cellphone. The concept of Iori Yagami being enamored with him was uniquely terrifying, but honestly, the man was the most callous person Rock had ever met, so he seriously doubted the possibility. Yashiro continued chattering at his side.

"A few weeks ago, like a bit after you and I played arcade together, Yagami calls me and asks if I can do guitar for him. I decide to give him a hard time and charge him through the nose. Just for kicks, yanno?"

Rock proceeded to order, but was listening carefully.

"It sorta got ridiculous, but he was willing to pay. It was pretty nutty. I've never pulled off a scam like that in my entire life - not that I'm much of a scammer, but… anyways. The reason he needs me, and Shermie too, is that he expects _you_ to wander off stage mid-performance and cry yourself to sleep from stage-fright. We're good enough at improvisation to just cover for you incase you bail, which-"

"... hang on, what? I thought-"

"- you will. I mean, nobody can do it their first time, and especially not with an audience as big as this. Why do you think we're even on this tour? We're Yagami's rival _fucking_ band, haha. Anyways, Athena's songs are stupid easy right? Literally like 1 note per stanza. You can do it in your sleep, but that's the point. You gotta get acclimated to the stage... Oy, did you get me my frappe?"

"Yeah… uh, I've gotta make a call..."

* * *

 _Goddammit what the fuck!_

Iori shifted around the sheet music on the floor with his foot, looking for the next stanza. He'd been pissed as all fuck ever since Howard gave him a shiner and ran out the door. Honestly, what the hell was wrong with the brat? The only person Iori knew who _actually_ attacked people completely unprovoked was Riot. And Riot hardly qualified as a person.

 _He has a good punch though… still have an awful fucking headache…_

Iori wasn't particularly angry at being punched. He was a KOF contestant and got punched all the time. It wasn't a big deal, especially since Athena was here and she would probably heal him if he asked her to. The big deal was Iori had just lost his new guitarist, and if the kid decided to hop on an airplane and bail, then he was short his only band member. He'd be paying Yashiro and Shermie for nothing, and essentially be doing charity work for Athena's career.

 _Fuck._

If things came to that, he'd probably blow his top, and he wasn't even going to feel bad about it. Athena had thrown him at the ceiling yesterday, and making her babysit Riot seemed like appropriate recompense. Maybe Riot would have fun smashing the cymbals… or melting them. The guy hadn't had free reign in a while and he'd definitely appreciate running in circles and toasting seagulls out of the sky.

 _Hey Riot, wanna go swimming? Do you know how to swim?_

 _DUCKLING! DUCKLING!_

 _Don't drown me 'kay? I think Australia has sharks. Go fight some sharks._

 _DUCKLING!_

 _Rock's flying back to the US, I know you liked him, but it's time to say goodby-_

*BRRRRR*

Iori pulled his phone form his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and blinked in surprise.

… _hot damn._

* * *

 _Yag likes blonde buff dudes? :0_

wew.

 _lel. i can't. (when your fav character continues to intensify in cringe, and you're just along for teh ride._


	11. Fresh French

_Tiny little chapter for Christmas._

 _Yag got a musical duckling for Christmas._

* * *

*BRRR-*

*CLICK*

"This is Yagami."

The room was silent. Athena and Kensou had wandered outside to enjoy the beach. Shermie was nowhere in ear-shot. Riot seemed to have either lost interest and went to sleep, or was listening intently. Iori sat there on the stool with sheet music scattered all about him. The morning sun cast a spot of golden light on the papers through the faceted skylights, while he himself sat in the shadows.

 _*... uh, hi boss. Um...*_

He let out and audible sigh and leaned against the back wall as he waited for Rock Howard to collect his thoughts. The phone was on speaker and balanced on his knee. This was the moment of truth. What Rock said next would determine the fate of this Tour. Seven months ago, his backup guitarist moved to Idaho to be a dad, and Iori had be floundering around, looking for a _halfway decent_ musician since.

But when he finally found one, he was the shyest kid on the planet, but damn was he _good._ When Rock auditioned, Iori perceived he had so much raw musical talent that it was a miracle nobody else had snapped him up beforehand. So of course, Iori on-boarded him immediately. He spent the first month drilling classical technique into him, as up until this point, Rock was self-taught, then the second month, he'd teach him stage-manner.

That was the only reason he even dreamed of teaming up with a _J-pop_ star. Athena had been bugging him for weeks about doing this collaboration, as she wanted to break into Australia. Iori, meanwhile, wasn't really looking to expand his fanbase toward prepubescent boys. Actually, he didn't do much marketing at all. The newspapers did that for free.

He had snagged CYS, paid them an absurd amount of money, then poured over Athena's song-list and chose the ones with the easiest secondary guitar portion - demanding she sing those. The focus was stage-manner, not technique this time, so brain-dead easy was a good thing. Athena didn't give him any trouble over the songs. She knew he was using her for _something_ , but she was using him as well and wasn't naive enough to expect charity from him.

The best way to overcome stage fright was to experience it, again and again and again. For anyone else, Iori would just toss them onstage and let the deal with it on their own, but he didn't want to lose Rock Howard. He paid CYS for the purpose of mitigating that fear. Having many people on-stage would be more comfortable for a new performer, as the focus was spread out among the many artists. Additionally, if Rock bailed, he could do so without the pressure of ' _having ruined the performance'_. Hopefully, by the time they were done with this tour, Howard would be comfortable waltzing around in his underwear on TV. _Then_ Yagami's band would be up on its feet again.

That was the plan at least. Iori hadn't even considered the possibility of failure. He had completely ignored the fact that if Rock Howard ran away, the entire Tour was for naught.

 _*Um.*_

Iori looked down at the phone and tapped at the bass in his lap. Wherever Rock was calling from was really loud. There was bustling and murmuring and people talking to each other in the background. Probably the Airport, he was probably calling to say goodbye. _Fuck._

 _*Yeah, so… I'm sorry for punching you. I know this sounds… really unbelievable, but I didn't mean it. Something just came over me, uh… please don't… yeah…so, am I dead?*_

"What do you mean ' _Am I dead'_?"

 _*... I mean I punched you...*_

"I know. That's not something you have to tell me."

 _*Yeah but… guh… fine. Look, I just wanna know if… uh… the next time you see me, are you gonna try and kill me?*_

Iori frowned. Did Rock Howard _actually_ take his death threats seriously? At this point, they had become so ingrained into his speech that he was hardly conscious of them anymore. It'd been a running joke for years, at least among the people who knew him.

"Howard, I don't think I've ever hurt you, and I've never had any intention to. This is the _fucking_ music industry, not Vietnam. What are you on about?"

 _*Oh... um. So you're not-... I mean you say stu-*_

"What do you want Howard. Just say it. An apology? A plane ticket? To quit the band? I'll give it to you. If you leave, I'm not gonna hunt you down. Tell me what you need from me."

There was a long pause. Iori sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked across the concert venue and out the large, glass paneled walls to the ocean. Beachgoers frolicked in the surf and seagulls cried to one another. Iori tapped the bass in anticipation for the worst.

 _*Can I ask you some stuff?*_

"Ask."

 _*Yashiro told me that… uh… Well, why did you hire CYS? Why are they here?*_

"They're here in case you panic and need to step out."

 _*Why didn't you tell me? I was dying from nervousness! *_

"Because I'd prefer you didn't step out."

 _*Oh, but… uh. I guess… alright… *_

Iori stared up at the vaulted ceiling and waited. The marble wall was cold through his t-shirt. His phone was balanced on his knee and airport sounds emitted from it. He briefly wondered where he would find another guitarist. What a _pain_ … dammit, even Riot was warming up to the kid…

 _*...Can I stay in the band?*_

"What? Oh _fuck-!_ "

Iori had expected Rock to ask permission to purchase a plane ticket home. Instead he said just the opposite and it surprised the red-haired man enough that he shifted and his phone fell off his knee. It clattered across the floor and Iori scrambled after it. Rock just kept talking.

 _*Even though I punched you, can I come back? I'm really sorry about that. The truth is, I was just really, really nervous about the show and I sort of snapped. Um. I didn't know you set this stuff up for me. So… yeah. I'd really like to come back. Are you okay with that?*_

Iori snatched his phone before it tumbled off the stage, then stood up. The guitar hung from him by the shoulder strap. He yanked it off and hopped off the stage. The gloom over his head broke, and he grinned at nothing.

"Am I _okay_ with you staying in my band? Oh _dammit_ Howard."

He started laughing raucously. Hopefully it didn't scare the kid too badly, but honestly Iori hadn't been this thrilled in a while. "You're lucky you're not here or else I'd french you for saying that! Come on back. Let's get this performance down and make a killing tomorrow. _Fuck me, 'am I okay with that' heh. Imagine..._ "

* * *

Rock hung up and blinked at the phone. He had been sure Iori would flip out, and it was taking some time for him to register what his boss had said to him. Not only was Yagami willing to forgive getting clocked in the face, he was actually ecstatic that Rock was staying in the band.

 _He actually wants me in the band? Like shoot. I didn't even know…_

Rock felt pride swell in his chest. The #3 musician in the world was happy enough to kiss him when he said he'd stay in his band. Rock had always been a bit of a downer, so things like this only happened in his imagination. He looked to Yashiro who was crammed beside him around the small coffee table. The larger man was wearing a wide grin and stirring his frappe.

"I told you he likes blonde guys. Maybe I should dye my hair, haha. Well. Ready to head back?"

"Yup, let's go" Rock stood and sidled out the gap between the table and the wall. Yashiro followed suit and sort of just bounced the chairs off his large frame. "Uh, Yashiro… Iori won't actually… "

"Kiss you? He definitely will."

"Wait. But-"

Rock's grin slowly faded as he felt the stirrings of dread in his stomach. Yashiro sniggered behind him the entire walk back to the Opera house.

* * *

 _Heh. I just realized that I made Yag kiss Benny too, and he's also a blonde guy._

 _Oh god._

 _Rock's gone from - 'My boss doesn't care about me, so I'm quitting' to 'oh shit my boss likes me too much should I quit?' in the space of thirty minutes._

 _Everything is crazy in Nano world :)_


	12. Hunger Games

_Annoying stuff I gotta slug through before we hit the concert. Fam I'm trying to rush to Japan, But I gotta hit HK and Shanghai first! Gaawd. Why did I already set the tour schedule :0._

 _boop boop. Merry Christmas and Happy new year._

* * *

"What are you on about?"

Yashiro planted his hands on his hips and frowned down at the irate, red-haired man. Iori's behavior was a bit embarrassing, since just earlier Yashiro had thoroughly convinced Rock that his boss was trying to fuck him. The kid had a way of overthinking things and once Yashiro got the ball rolling, Rock scared himself all on his own. The large man had found Rock's hand wringing endlessly amusing, and had to actually drag him through the doorway into the opera house.

Unfortunately, Iori wasn't being cooperative and didn't even hug his terrified guitarist. The red-haired man had been dealing with the sound team when Yashiro and Rock walked in. He looked happy to see Rock, but the moment he laid eyes on Yashiro, his expression changed from ' _pleased_ ' to ' _I will eat your liver_ ' with an uncannily speed. He marched up to them, dropped the bass on his guitarist, and demanded ' _Your Inventory. Now'_.

As per usual, Yashiro had no idea what Iori was talking about.

" _Inventory?_ What, do you think I'm an italian restaurant or something? What kind of inventory am I supposed to have."

Iori's head looked like it was about to explode and his teeth began chattering. Yashiro snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. Riot could be a lot more reasonable than Iori sometimes, and the Hakkesshu always had good relationships with Orochi-induced alter egos. Rock was so relieved he hadn't been tongue kissed, that he didn't even flinch when Iori began screeching.

"The shrooms, Yashiro! Give the the f-f-fucking shrooms! _And you, I told you not to buy any drugs! What are you doing with this guy?!_ "

"The hell? What makes you think I sell shrooms? I've only been alive for the past month and a half, what makes you think I can a run a business?"

"Don't give me excuses, give me your inventory! If I find this little shit," he jabbed a finger at Rock Howard, "drugged up somewhere, I'm actually going to kill you."

Yashiro furrowed his brow and frowned accusingly at Rock, who shook his head frantically.

"Hey, Rock. I thought you were a good kid? You're a druggie?"

" _I didn't-_ "

Iori cut him off.

"No thanks you, you piece of shit fucker. If this kid gets messed up, Geese Howard is gonna send his guys to shoot at me for another month. So fucking stop."

" _Guys, I'm not-_ "

"Hey Rock, scurry along now. Mommy and Daddy are talki- _ouff_ "

Iori jabbed him in the breadbasket and knocked the air out of him. On any other day, Yashiro might have taken the opportunity to start a localized earthquake and try to punch Iori's head off, but he was laughing too hard. He was delighted with the utter rage on the red-haired man's face.

* * *

"Alright, good. Rock, take a break during our songs I'll take the guitar portion. If you want to, just hang out and play harmony, otherwise step out during transition. If you feel queasy, take a nap. Kensou, 94. Anything more and I'll strangle you on stage. Yashiro, take the solo beginning on stanza 48. Let's run this again."

It was nearly four in the afternoon and Iori hadn't let them go for lunch yet. Everyone was getting crabby, except for the slavedriver himself, and we're on the brink of coup d'etat. Even Rock was just about ready to punch his boss again, especially since he knew he wouldn't be mauled in response.

 _I'll die boss… come on, it's almost dinner…_

The concert venue didn't allow food, otherwise they'd just order something. If they wanted something to eat, their only options were either persuasion or escape. Shermie and Yashiro _could_ just gang up on Iori and preoccupy him long enough for everyone to flee to a restaurant somewhere. They didn't seem concerned about those ridiculous flames, and messed with (in Shermie's case, bitched at) him so nonchalantly, Rock was convinced they were just as strong as he was.

Unfortunately, Shermie has just done her nails and refused to participate. Yashiro said something about how he didn't want to cause a ruin the floor, and resorted to mumbling _'Psycho Bitch'_ whenever Iori came within earshot.

The only other person capable of putting up a decent fight was Athena. Maybe she could toss him out the window or something, but she didn't seem willing to. Rock perceived his boss had been on edge whenever Athena was nearby ever since the Airport incident. It probably wasn't a good idea for her to try anything else - at least for the sake of the building's integrity.

Yashiro and Kensou had began complaining two hours ago, but Iori turned deaf ear to them. He demanded they keep rehearsing and wouldn't take no for an answer. For a while, the threat of insanity kept everyone in line, but soon enough the group as a whole was reaching its tipping point. Only Kensou had eaten breakfast and it was nearing four-thirty.

" _Hey."_

Yashiro was staring pointedly at him, he whispered loudly.

" _Tell him you'll quit if he doesn't let us go._ "

" _What!? No way._ "

Yashiro filled his lungs and shouted. Rock groaned.

"Ya-ga-mi! Rock says he'll quit if you don't let us go."

"Stop it, man! Can you not? … Sheesh… _You're gonna get me in trouble._ "

Yashiro rolled his eyes and Rock glared at him. Shermie chuckled dryly and banged the keys of the piano with her palms. The unsightly noise rang out over the venue and everyone stopped playing. The stage fell silent. The sharp-eyed man standing on center-stage turned to glare.

"What's this about."

"Your new boyfriend's gonna bail."

Iori scowled and Rock cringed.

"Keep your fantasies to yourself, Yashiro. And stop talking dumb shit."

"Or what, you'll suck my dick off?"

"Try me, Bitch. Now please shut the fuck up and re-do that solo. Shermie can you do that arpeggio a bit faster? Let's go 45 to 80 again-"

Yashiro wasn't about to let Iori drag them back into rehearsal mode. He hollered.

"Goddammit, Yagami! Not again! We're starving! Come on! Are you trying to kill us?!"

Iori ignored him. He turned to Rock, evidently waiting to see if he had anything to add. For someone ' _thrilled to have him on board_ ' Iori really didn't show it. Well, to some degree Rock was glad Iori didn't do any of those things Yashiro said he'd do, but his stomach _was_ complaining. He couldn't help but wish his employer was a tad more caring.

"Hey Boss, I'm pretty hungry. Can we break?"

"You too, Howard? Really?"

"... I didn't have breakfast."

Iori huffed and planted his hands on his hips. He seemed to be undergoing some internal struggle and there was a long silence.

"Alright, alright"

There was a collective sigh of relief as Iori fitted his microphone back on it's stand.

"Everyone back here at 8. Whoever's late gets set on fire. Howard you're coming with me. Grab that acoustic and follow."

* * *

"Of course I'm serious."

"Can… we advertise?"

"We're only doing the next three hours, but you can say whatever you want… but I don't think you'll need to though." He winced as someone bumped into him and knocked him against the bar counter. "Full house."

The restaurant owner was a graying, grizzled man, and nodded at him from behind the counter. Either he recognized Iori himself, or was observing the reactions of the people who saw him, but he was more than happy to turn off the stereo and pay them to do live music for a while. Iori really wasn't too hard to recognize and people had been snapping pictures of him ever since he stepped foot in the building. Anyone would think he was some sort of celebrity.

 _Fucking annoying…_

"What will you be performing?"

"Uh… _Howard, how comfortable are you with your audition pieces?..._ " He turned to shout at the teenager seated a couple of yards away at a table. The restaurant was bursting with people and it was really loud. Of course, Iori could out-wail an air horn if he put his mind to it, so he just blasted over the crowd. Rock had ordered an entire jambalaya and Iori could smell the spices from over at the bar. Rock looked up briefly to give a thumbs up, then refocused on the large pan of cajun rice and shrimp. He obviously wasn't paying attention.

Iori shook his head and shrugged. Rock was going to perform tomorrow afternoon before a huge audience, so getting his feet wet with a comparatively small crowd beforehand was probably a good idea. Losing his nerve now was better than later.

 _Not like I'll let him sit this out, anyways._

"The Beatles, do you have a printer? The kid needs sheets."

"Uh… yeah, yeah, the office is in the back. I'll take you over."

* * *

 _So full-power Heavenly kings are like, slightly weaker than Team murder (by virtue that they get beaten by Sacred Treasures). I read up on (orochi)Yashiro's powers and the guy can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions by thinking about it... Welp, since Orochi's all sealed up rn, I downsized his power a bit cuz that's nuts. I just decided he's like an earthbender who's tough enough to laughs at iori's punches._

 _Shermie is equally scary. She can strike you with lightning. But again, she draws power from Orochi as well, and devilmom has him in jail._

 _In any case, they spend their time harassing Yag. They're not too scared of him cuz he already paid them he won't do anything that will compromise their musical abilities. Also they've died before and they'll just come back next year so no biggie._

 _Yashiro has the big gay :0_

 _Rock Howard's a crackhead._

 _Yag thinks Rock's biological dad still cares about him. :(_

 _Kensou always hungry._

 _having some trouble developing Shermie's voice. She might just be mostly background if I can't figure her out._


	13. Not Liars

_big ass chapter. haha._

 _sry. im so tired_

* * *

"How are we feelin' tonight?!"

Rock was sitting on a stool placed upon the low stage. His hands were clammy and damp with sweat, and he felt the guitar slipping in his grasp. There was a bright ceiling light shining directly in his eyes, and his heart was beating in throat. The room seemed extraordinarily humid and his breath stuck in his throat.

 _Okay… okay, calm down Rocky. Breathe. Deep breaths…_

Iori was at the front of the stage chatting up the crowd. He didn't seem nervous or embarrassed in the least, especially considering his wardrobe. During rehearsals, he has dressed relatively tamely, but once he got on stage he felt the need to procure a set of cheap heart-shaped sunglasses and remove his shirt. He looked incredibly trashy, especially with that bruise on his face.

 _Does he think it looks cool? Ugh… man._

Well, the crowd seemed to find Iori's antics amusing, and cheered. The red-haired man was drinking up the attention and didn't seem to know (or care) that half of his audience thought he had brain damage.

Rock wished he had that sort of confidence… or ignorance. At this point, he was about ready to start hyperventilating. About twenty minutes ago, right when Rock was finishing up his giant jambalaya, Iori had squeezed through the crowd and smacked a sheaf of papers down on the table. He had listened - almost incredulously - as Iori explained that they'd be performing ' _Right now. You've eaten enough anyways, lets go.'_

Rock had gotten angry and frustrated with these plans which were sprung suddenly upon him. After all, he'd been practicing all day, and was looking forward to taking a break. However, as usual, Rock didn't even have time form a coherent protest before he was prodded to his feet and hearded upstage. He swore there was still rice on his shirt when Iori sat him down and dropped the guitar on him.

 _Deep breaths… phwooo… okay…. You're okay… you're cool Rocky…_

Nevertheless, the anger was soon swallowed by apprehension. Rock knew the day would come where he would need to perform before an audience, but he'd procrastinated in his mental preparation. He was so scared of the concept that he did his best to ignore that glaring reality entirely. Now, Iori had metaphorically slapped him in the face with what he dreaded the most.

 _It's gonna be okay… it'll be okay…_

Rock exhaled a long breath and tried to suppress the feeling of nausea that began churning in his stomach. His vision swam and the notes on his sheet music started to float off the paper. Rock felt the eyes of the crowd boring into him, judging his every move and probably thinking he was inadequate and-

"-ock Howard. He looks harmless, right? Like you'd let him babysit your kids. Anyways, he's actually crazy violent."

Rock snapped to attention as Iori introduced him. He cringed beneath the curious stares of the crowd. _Did he just say I'm violent?_

Iori cackled and spoke while tangling himself in the microphone's cord.

"He tried to fight me within ten minutes of introducing himself. After I convinced him to play basketball instead, he broke my arm. He also punched me a couple of hours ago." Iori tapped the bruise on his face. "He's a real sweetheart."

Iori glanced back at him as the crowd laughed appreciatively. The man observed him from behind his stupid glasses, and his expression became serious. He mouthed ' _are you ready?'_

 _Ready?... Hah, like hell… I'm going to die…_

He nodded, but apparently it wasn't convincing. Iori turned back to the audience.

"So, guys, do me a favor won't you? Karma bit him in the ass, and he's got a serious case of allergies. So if he starts crying, cheer for him, alright? He's a good kid."

The crowd gave another whoop and Iori looked back to him. Rock gulped and blinked until the notes stopped moving. As much as he'd like to be back at the hotel, Iori was counting on him, and he wasn't about to disappoint. Hell, Iori had done a lot for him, so the least he could do was try his best. He nodded - with more conviction this time - and strummed the intro.

 _Alright…. I got this… phew… just focus on the sheets…_

Rock stared down at the music and tried his best not to look at the audience. Iori grinned and turned back around. He caught his cue and they were off.

Two hours flew by without serious incident. Rock had played the songs before, so repeating them wasn't the issue, the issue was just sitting on-stage. The music was obviously hesitant - as Rock's hands were quite literally shaking - but passable. Iori probably noticed, but he made no complaints and simply matched his rhythm.

Iori seemed more involved here than in his televised concerts, probably to cover for his utter lack of stage manner. He was parading about the stage with the microphone stand and singing like there was no tomorrow. During rehearsals, Iori and Athena had practiced quietly in order to preserve their voices, but here, Iori wasn't holding back. It didn't seem like he needed to, anyways. The sound came from deep in his chest and his voice lacked the telltale sound of strain. It gave him an operatic quality which clashed horribly with his image. Perhaps that was what he was aiming for, because he strutted about the stage like he was trying to piss someone off.

 _Maybe if I start smoking I can sing like that too… I mean… wow, he hit that note… haha…_

The show lasted 2 hours, and for the first, Rock felt sick to his stomach. He only really eased up when he realized nobody was watching him. For once, Iori's shitty attention-seeking outfits were working toward Rock's peace of mind - rather than being a source of second-hand embarrassment.

Nevertheless, during the second hour Rock had gathered the courage to lift his head and attempt participation. People seemed to know he was nervous and smiled encouragement at him. He grinned sheepishly back and tried to enjoy himself. He had memorized the songs long ago, and was rather proud of the accuracy during the second hour. By the end of the mini-concert he had gained enough confidence to sit comfortably onstage and even add some improvision into his music.

They closed out at seven thirty to cheers, and waded out of the bar, into the street. Iori was all pissed off because someone had stolen his heart glasses, and didn't address the performance at all. Instead, he insisted they stop by the dollar shop and purchase new ones before they returned to the concert venue. He was deciding between _'too small'_ and _'polka-dots'_ when he spoke to Rock.

"So? How was it, kiddo?"

Rock was spacing out. He snapped to attention and turn to look at the red-haired man. The glasses didn't even fit Iori's head. He had produced a set of bobby pins to keep his hair back as he observed himself in the mirror.

 _Holy crap man… well, at least he put his shirt back on…_

"Huh?... Oh... honestly… you look kinda… They look really bad. Both sets."

Iori didn't miss a beat.

"Are you questioning my fashion sense, Howard?"

He was feigning anger, but there was the curl of amusement on his lip. Rock rolled his eyes and decided his boss deserved some backlash for throwing him on stage so suddenly. He grumbled a tentative insult.

"You look like you decided to be a drag queen, but forgot about it halfway through. Just buy the normal glasses…"

Iori laughed, picked the polka-dotted glasses, grabbed three packs of beef jerky, and queued up. Rock fell in line behind him. Iori didn't look at him when he spoke, instead opting to tap quarter inch deep holes into the checkout conveyor belt's surface. The cashier's face was the very image of confusion.

When he spoke again, his voice was low and serious. There was a note of apprehension in his speech, so subtle that Rock almost missed it.

"I asked, how was it. How do you feel about playing onstage? I mean, the small crowds are generally friendly."

"... um, well."

Iori didn't say a word. Rock decided to use this opportunity to test his bosses reactions. He watched the man's body language carefully and spoke coldly.

"It was pretty nervewracking, and I wish you gave me prior notice."

A moment of silence. Iori was obviously waiting for him to elaborate, and when he didn't, the man seemed to deflate. Rock couldn't see his face, but Iori was never good at hiding his emotions. It was quite obvious that whatever Rock had said upset Iori immensely and he stopped tapping the conveyer belt. Instead, he just let his hand down and began to carve the plastic into long ribbons as it ran under his fingertips. That had caught the attention of not only the cashier, but also the rest of the customers in line.

After a moment, Iori let out a long sigh and responded in an almost-whisper.

" _Ah…_ I see… that's it, then."

Rock couldn't help but feel bad. His intention was to exact petty revenge on his boss for throwing him onstage without consulting him. Whatever he did seemed to have worked too well, and Rock could almost smell the disappointment wafting off Iori. The teenager immediately began feeling guilty. He waved his hands and spoke _too_ quickly in attempt to reverse _whatever_ had just happened.

 _Oh damn… I've never seen him sad before…_

"Wait! Uh, I mean, It was good though. In the beginning I was really nervous, but… you know. It was okay. I mean, just... just tell me a little earlier and that'd be great."

"..."

Iori turned to look at him, his brow was furrowed over his heart glasses.

"You're messing with me, aren't you… you did that on purpose."

… _oh shit… he's onto me…_

"N-no! I mean… uh, No. I seriously didn't! I promise I wasn't messing around… um. I-"

Rock began picking his brain for a good explanation for his behavior. He was coming up blank. Iori remained suspicious.

"You're sure about that?"

"Of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be sure of what I just said! Haha… uh… yeah… "

 _Dammit Rocky, why are you so awkward…_

Iori studied him for a moment longer, ignored his obviously suspicious behavior, and took him at his word. He shook off the vestiges of apprehension and sadness, and stood up straight. It took only a mere moment for him to return to his normal, bossy self.

"That's good to hear, Howard. Glad you liked your first onstage performance. We'll be doing it until you hate it. Now-" He grinned, then stated theatrically, "Onward with the rehearsals."

Rock immediately stopped feeling bad for the crazy slavedriver.

* * *

 _*Iori Yagami and Athena Asimaya, huh? Yeah I heard about it in the news this morning. It's supposed to be a huge event! Are you excited, Rocky?*_

"... Excited?"

Rock Howard had cocooned himself up in his blankets, and had pushed his face into a pillow. He had drawn the curtains and the city lights blinked calmly at him from the distance. He imagined that it'd be soothing, but all he could think about was the hundreds upon thousands of eyes that would be watching him. The apprehension was driving him nuts. He had vomited twice already, his head hurt something awful and he could hear his pulse pounding in his temple. He had tried to distract himself with mobile games, but they did nothing to help him.

As a last resort, he had called his father. He lay in bed and listened to Terry's voice emit from the phone. His father had always been a source of steadfast strength for him. It was the only thing so far that helped him to calm down. He raised his head out his cocoon to answer.

"I'm _not_ excited... It's three in the morning and I haven't gotten a wink of sleep. The concert starts at 11 in the morning, but I have to be there at nine. That's six hours away... I'm so nervous I could die. Dad, I'm gonna die! W-what do I do?!"

He buried his face back into the pillow. He gazed over the city lights and he felt his stomach turn within him.

 _*... Rock. it's fine. I know you, and I know you can do this. You're working yourself up again. You need to calm down and get some sleep. Just think of it like it's an exam. Do you have Nyquil?*_

"An Exam?! Dad! this is like a hundred times worse than any exam! There's going to be _fifty-thousand_ people coming to see us... and it's gonna be on TV too! That's like a million people! What am I supposed to do!"

His breathing was unsteady and caught raggedly in his throat. His hands were cold and clammy with sweat.

"And I don't have Nyquil..."

 _*Can you call room service and get them to buy some for you? And don't take it on an empty stomach. Did Iori feed you?*_

"I threw up... and room service doesn't run at 3 AM. Dad, I wanna go _home_. I can't take this... The small crowd was okay, but not _this._ It's too much."

 _*I don't want you to think about the concert, okay. Can we focus? Let's think about how to get some sleep. One step at a time, okay? Rock, are you with me?*_

Rock exhaled and squeezed his eyes shut in a grimace. It felt like there were insects crawling up and down his spine. He shivered.

"I'm with you."

 _*Here's what's gonna happen. In a moment, I'm gonna put on you hold. You have water right?*_

"Yeah."

 _*I want you to drink at least a full bottle by the time I get back. Can you do that? I don't want you to get dehydrated.*_

"Yeah."

 _*Promise me.*_

"I'm drinking, I'm drinking..."

* * *

* _BRRR_ *

 _*BRRR*_

 _*BRR-*_

"... who the... Terry Boga-... Damn this piece of shit!"

Iori snatched his cellphone up from his bedstand, took once glance at the caller ID, and answered, only to immediately shout as many profanities as he could into the receiver.

"-ou piece of fuck! Just because I haven't come over and killed you yet, doesn't mean we're all buddy-buddy. What makes you think you can call me in the middle of the night and-"

 _*...*_

"What?"

 _*...*_

"Wait, how the hell do _you_ know. Are you stalking my guitarist? Fuckin' creep!"

 _*...*_

"Stop talking shit! You think I don't know Geese Howard? I fought a fucking gang war against him! Now leave me alone."

 _*...*_

"Adopted?! What!?"

 _*...*_

"I don't believe you."

 _*...*_

"Fine. But if you're lying, I'm gonna blow up your house."

 _*...*_

"Nyquil?... uh, no, but I've got melatonin. I'll go knock down his door or something."

 _*...*_

"... ha! What are you talking about? You're going senile, old man. Howard was the one who broke my arm, not you. Keep your facts straight. But if you really wanna fight, then I'm happy to oblige, or at least Riot is. Wanna go?"

* * *

 _Some ref to ch10 of CashCow,(Rock claims to have broken Yag's arm) and also ch1 of MasterMind (Mary discovers Yag cut the thumbs off a ton of Geese henchman because they messed with his landlady.)_

 _Sorry for long and, frankly boring chapter. I have some stuff planned for right after the concert._


	14. Ultra-Tough Love

_I_ _wrote a bit of Shermie at the end, and I kinda like her. Everyone needs a glam-bitch in their lives. Lightning Glam-bitch yeehaw._

 _Duckling vs Yag._

* * *

Rock cringed as Iori, who just a moment ago had busted his door open, stepped through the doorway and began stalking towards him. He was rushing to finish the bottle of water his father made him drink when he heard rapid knocking. Terry said Iori had some sleeping medication, and would deliver it, but he didn't elaborate how pissed off to man was.

Rock was halfway through extricating himself from his myriad of blankets to answer the door, when his doorknob glowed white and collapsed, melting into a mess on the carpet. The heat ignited a small fire, which Iori immediately stomped out with a slippered foot. He growled from across the room.

"Dammit Howard! Answer the door when people knock."

Rock was too upset to provide a sufficient excuse or rebuttal. He squirmed out of his sheets and maneuvered to slouch at the edge of his bed. He watched miserably as the eccentric red-haired man caroused through his hotel room.

"Holy shit it smells like Cajun in here."

Rock's voice came out weak and shaky.

"I barfed."

A pause. Iori turned to look at him, and even in the dim city-lights, Rock could see the exasperation etched in the other man's face.

"You threw up? Great. That's lovely. Sit straight. Why are you all sweaty? Stop shaking."

Rock shut his eyes and focused on breathing evenly as Iori ordered his symptoms away. _As if that's even possible._ The man closed the bathroom door and walked over to drop a zip-loc bag full of pills, and a bottle of something dark and syrupy on the bedside table. He turned on the small lamp.

"Why the hell do you need sleeping meds for food poisoning? Just eat some oatmeal and go to sleep. Can you stop sweating already? Why're you all white."

Rock flinched as Iori grabbed him and placed- _smacked_ , a hand against his forehead. If he were any rougher, the maneuver would be classified as a palm strike. The teenager flinched as he head was knocked backwardsa andfidgeted, uncomfortable with the contact. Iori was all business and didn't seem to care.

"Good job kid, you've got yourself a fever… haah… what the hell did you _eat?_ Toxic waste?"

Iori let him go and stood back, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked peeved, and the last thing Rock needed was the extra pressure. As per usual, Iori wasn't being very understanding, and he somehow believed Rock's _fever_ was a result of food poisoning, not his obvious anxiety. Rock had been generous in attributing so much insightfulness to his boss.

 _Hah, has he never been sick before? What do you mean, 'stop shaking…' nutjob…_

Rock really wasn't feeling up to explaining his symptoms to Iori. Actually, was wasn't up to doing anything at all except, maybe disappearing into the ground so he wouldn't have to deal with Iori or the concert or anything. Instead, he wanted to hop on a plane and go home. Problem was, Iori would most likely throw a fit, as Rock already told him he was ready and willing to participate in the concert. Changing plans six hours beforehand was profoundly inconsiderate, and would make Rock feel bad. Thus, he was in a dilemma, it weighed on him heavily and showed on his face. He really didn't want to cry in with Iori here, but he was just about ready to crack.

"Oh man. I guess we really did dump too much crud in the ocean then. I mean were the shrimp so nasty that they got you sick? haah… maybe I'll ask Kagura about it."

Rock clenched his teeth and looked down into his lap, willing himself to hold strong until Iori left. Unfortunately, Iori wasn't too keen on going anywhere and continued to stand in the middle of his hotel room, rambling.

"Then again, you can eat as much toxic waste as you like, as long as you can play tomorrow. You don't hav'ta worry about looking like shit either - because you do. Shermie will cake you in makeup. Try not to rub at it once it goes on though, cuz then you'll look like an abstract painting." Iori snickered, "That's always fun."

 _Please leave… go away. Go away. Go away. I can't handle you right now. Just let me die in peace… Ugh…_

Iori couldn't read thoughts, and apparently he wasn't too good at reading body language either, because he wouldn't stop talking. Normally he wasn't so talkative, Rock perceived that his boss was also suffering the effects of fatigue.

"And Shermie is doing wardrobe for us too. Did you know she used to be a fashion designer before she turned evil an-... Oy, are you alright, kid?"

The burning desire to sink into the ground finally overcame him as Iori began droning about fashion design. He flopped sideways and bury his face into the down comforter. He just couldn't deal with it anymore. He was already dangling at a precipice, and any talk about tomorrow's concert preparations just weren't welcome. Terry had done his best to distract Rock from tomorrow's terrifying reality, but Iori was bringing it all back. Rock felt like he was about to either scream or start crying. Maybe he'd do both and punch Iori for good measure.

"What the hell Howard, was the shrimp actually that bad? Do you need an ambulance? Don't pass out on me..."

Rock had bunched up the blankets around his face and just lay there, he could hear Iori's muffled voice through the fabric. He curled up and willed everything to disappear. He just wanted-

 _(Dial tone)_

"... I need an ambulance at 7 Hickson Road… yeah, Park Hyatt, the hote-"

Rock scrambled upright to stop the call. He really didn't want to have a team of paramedics busting into his room and dragging him to the hospital. Hell, at this point he just wanted to be alone with his crippling anxiety. That sounded pretty good compared to whatever Iori decided to do with him.

"Hey, Hey! Don't call them! I'm fine!"

He was ignored.

"Uh-huh, a really bad case of food poisoning. Yes it's urgent-"

Perhaps it was the fatigue, or his utter exasperation with the situation, but without thinking, Rock got up and snatched Iori's phone from him. It was something he'd never have the guts to do regularly. The sudden change in position caused his head to pound and his vision momentarily went dark. He barked into the receiver.

"Hello? Don't come. I'm fine. I'm not sick."

* _Are you su-*_

"Of course I'm sure! Why does everyone ask if I'm sure! I just said it! Dammit, these people!"

His voice did something funny at the end there, and he felt something hot leak past his nose. He tossed Iori's phone to the side and wiped his face angrily. He glared at the red-haired man, who stood frozen. His hand held near his face at if he were still holding his phone. His expression was indecipherable.

Nobody moved for a long moment, then Iori broke the silence. His voice was low and soft.

"Tell me why you need sleeping pills, Howard."

Rock snarled a response. He felt his blood boil.

"I need _sleeping pills_ because of you and your stupid concert! I'm nervous and I can't sleep! Now get out!"

" _Nervous?_ The hell have _you_ got to be nervous about?! _I'm_ the one tha-"

"OUUT!"

Every muscle in Rock's body was tense, and he gripped the edge of the mattress as hard as he could. He bared his teeth at his boss and panted. It's been a long time since the soft-spoken Rock Howard really blew his top and screamed at somebody, and it was certainly the first time he'd screamed at his boss.

" _You_ don't get to tell me what to do, Howard!"

It was also the first time Iori _really_ threatened him. There was a raw violence in his voice. A violence which would have deterred anyone in their right mind, unfortunately, Rock wasn't in his right mind. He sprang to his feet, shouted and lunged at Iori in a rage. He kept his eyes fixed on his target and gathered energy in his fist for an enhanced uppercut. A flare of bluish chi followed the path his fist carved through the air. The trajectory of the arc ended at Iori's jaw.

 _Just go! Leave me alone or I'll throw you out!_

Iori curled his lip in contempt and stepped back to avoid the strike. He caught Rock's elbow as it whizzed past his ear and yanked him sideways, throwing the younger man off balance. Rock cursed as he staggered and flailed. Before he could regain his footing, he was seized by the back of the shirt and hurled facefirst at his bed. He managed to catch the edge of the mattress before he squashed his nose against it. Rock gritted his teeth, ready to whirl and have another go at Iori, but was yanked backwards and wrapped in a chokehold. He struggling grew more feeble as his oxygen supply was slowly cut off. Soon enough, all he could manage was to claw at the arm wrapped about his throat.

"You're a fuckin' asshole, you know that Howard?"

Iori's voice was low as he growled into Rock's ear. The arm wrapped around his neck loosened just enough for him to gasp for air. He dug his nails into Iori's arm and tried to kick his captor with his heels. Iori continued talking.

"Who do you think I am? Are you trying to insult me?"

" _Urmph!_ "

"You've been in the band for five weeks, Howard, and if you were paying attention, you would know that when I'm working, I _don't fuck around._ "

Rock managed to twist and land an elbow strike on Iori's ribs. The red-haired man didn't even flinch. He continued to choke Rock while lecturing him.

"So why the hell would I go through the trouble of teaching you guitar for a month, hiring dead people, and flying you halfway across the world only to let you fail. Huh? Did you ever think about that?"

Rock couldn't understand what Iori was saying, it was probably the lack of oxygen. He stopped flailing and focused on breathing.

"And why did you think I decided to wear _fucking heart glasses_ at the bar? I mean, yeah. Sometimes I dress like shit for kicks, but that was intentionally excessive. Do you know why?" A pause. Rock couldn't even answer if he wanted to. "Because I know you were so scared you were about to piss yourself. I needed all eyes on me, and none on you. I'm not careless with my work, Howard."

Iori dropped him and he collapsed to the ground. He hit the carpet and rolled onto his back to hungrily suck air. Meanwhile, Iori turned his back and walked over to the bedside table. The man continued talking as he poured syrupy liquid into a measuring cup. His voice grew increasingly louder as he spoke.

"You seem to think I forget about stuff, or that I don't think things through. Do you think I'm some kind of idiot, Howard? Who taught you to look down on me?!"

Rock sputtered and crawled to his feet, only to sit back down at the edge of the bed. He rubbed his throat as his breathing steadied and looked down at his lap - the fight was literally choked out of him.

Iori had finished pouring and was standing in front of him. Rock just looked down at his hands. He was too delirious to form any coherent thoughts.

"Look at me, Howard."

He cringed, then tilted his head to meet Iori's gaze. The man's expression was intimidating, but he didn't look angry. Rock blinked and gingerly took the cup of medication Iori held out to him.

"I've done hundreds of concerts, and I know _every single way_ they can go wrong. I won't let you fail and I won't let you embarrass yourself either. That's all you need to know. There's nothing else you need to consider. Don't insult me by worrying about my stuff. I can take care of it. Got it, Howard?"

Iori crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. Rock dropped his head and sheepishly nodded, almost spilling the cup of medicine on himself.

"Good. Now drink up, and be in the lobby by nine tommorrow. Otherwise I'm going to come back here and finish choking you."

"Yessir."

"Night."

"... Night."

* * *

It was 8:50 and almost everyone was gathered in the lobby. They were still waiting on Iori, who hadn't come down yet, and Kensou who had gone over to the Hotel's breakfast buffet. Shermie smacked her lips in her compact mirror, satisfied with it's application. She had brought a veritable makeup store's worth of products with her, and was eager to put them to good use. It seemed her skills would be needed too, Iori still had been punched in the face yesterday, and Rock had come down to the lobby with dark bruises on his neck.

Yashiro saw the opportunity and was all over the young guitarist immediately. The kid had just woken up and sat dazed on the lobby couches. Shermie observed as her boyfriend began harassing him.

"Had fun last night, eh, Rock? I heard you and Yagami going at it."

"Huh? Oh, Hi Yashiro… sorry about that. Hope the yelling didn't wake you."

"Nope. You know, Me and Shermie are a pair, so are Kensou and Athena. It's only fitting that you and Yagami..."

Yashiro shrugged and grinned at him. Rock frowned as he realized what Yashiro meant by ' _fun'._

"... wait, uh… you've got the wrong idea-"

"Sure I do, Howard." Yashiro winked and tried to saunter away. Rock drove himself to his feet and followed him, insistently trying to defend his dignity from the other man's dirty assumptions.

 _Haha… such a cute kid. I think I'll have to bully him a bit too…_

Shermie smirked to herself as Rock and Yashiro wandered out of earshot. Athena sat across the coffee table from her, similarly checking her appearance. Shermie perceived that Athena didn't find any particular joy in the art of makeup. She seemed to be treating it as a chore, rather than an artistic expression.

 _What a pity, imagine thinking makeup is a chore? Ha. Miserable._

Athena had evidently noticed Shermie's expressions - _or read her thoughts, Shermie didn't care either way -_ and frowned. She seemed to be debating with herself about something, but let off, instead opting to check her phone. She raised her head and addressed Shermie.

"It's 8:58. Where's Yagami."

"Hmm? Ahh, Yagami? Who knows?~"

Shermie replied in a drawl. She already decided she didn't like Athena in the Airport, and intended on being an utter bitch to her… then again, if she _did_ like Athena, she'd still be a bitch, so there wasn't going to be much of a difference.

 _She does do a good job on her eyeliner though… I'll give her that._

Athena narrowed her eyes, but she kept her expression under control. Shermie smiled sweetly and snapped her compact mirror closed, she examined her nails where she knew Athena would see, and let lightning dance between her fingers.

"I'm not his handler, Miss Psycho girl. He actually hired me. If you want to find him, find him on your own-"

There was the sound of squabbling from around the corner, where the elevators were. Shermie turned her head as she picked out the voices of Yashiro and Rock. Their voices were immediately drowned out by Iori Yagami.

"YASHIRO! Call me gay one more _fucking_ time and I'll turn your asshole inside out!"

His voice echoed around the lobby, and everyone fell silent for a moment. Shermie snorted, stood up and turned to smile at Athena.

"There he is, mademoiselle. You're very welcome. Try not to forget this favor."

She felt Athena's eyes boring holes in her back as she gleefully walked away.

* * *

 _lol. Yag actually doesn't really pay attention to most things so he comes off as an idiot. Also he's insane and that's a thing. He's not actually autistic, but he doesn't think for the most part. Only for stuff that he really cares about. also. If you read Skeletons, you know that Iori has actually never been sick, cuz cursed blood is like hot-sauce. He has no idea what food poisoning is supposed to be like._

 _It doesn't matter if Yag loves you, you still get beaten up. (RIP Brian Battler)_

 _Rock has gone insane more than Yag has so far. He should just surrender his sanity already. It's only day 3._

 _Duckling's first Reppuken (in this fic)_

 _kk bye_


	15. Squeeze Me

_I found this half written. Took an hour to finish it up. Sorry for being MIA guys, my job is so busy lol. I only had time to do this cuz I'm friggin sick and I'm not working._

 _Anyways, I'm not dead. I promise. But I deffo cannot maintain the output you guys are used to._

 _I'll cya dudes around._

* * *

 _Bright…_

The lights were bright, illuminating the figures on stage. They always seemed larger than life when they stood up there, consumed with nothing but the passion for music. They were a different breed. These were people which had transcended from this mundane world into an extraordinary one. A world she could neither approach nor touch.

Six people on stage. Usually it'd be too many, but two of the six drew such disproportionate attention that the other four were regulated to mere background noise. Through the smoke and music, Athena Asimaya gave flawless performance. She stood like the brilliant centerpiece of the stage, proper and elegant. Her outfit was peculiar, yet tasteful. Her voice pealed forth like the pure ringing of a bell. The crowd seemed to be warming to her nicely, especially the men.

Of course, Leona only noticed her in passing. She thought Athena was a good singer and a generally sweet person, but wasn't really here to see _her_. The other 'centerpiece' of the stage didn't have an elegant bone in his body. He marched about, whipping his microphone stand around as he shook the stadium with that impossibly powerful voice. He was all teeth, grinning into his microphone and clearly having the time of his life. Somebody had managed to dress him decently for once, but he had added plastic polka-dotted heart sunglasses to his ensemble.

 _Well, that's how he is… hehe…_

Athena Asimaya might've been the visual centerpiece of the stage - since she _was_ stunning - but Iori was the energy. Perhaps it was Leona's own extremely biased opinion, but she felt the concert would be a bit boring without the crazy red-haired guy. She offered a small smile as the felt the impact of the drums vibrate in her chest.

 _Then again… I wouldn't even attend if he wasn't here… so… hm-?_

Leona hadn't realized she was cradling her chin in her palm until she had to turn and address Seirah, who had tapped her shoulder. The two of them had purchased fairly expensive seats, and were watching from a raised booth. Well, Leona had purchased the tickets, Seirah wanted to tag along for the sake of getting out of the IKARI compound for awhile.

"Leona, who's that one?"

"Hmm?..."

"The guitarist."

"That's Yashiro."

The younger woman huffed and shook Leona insistently, perceiving her senior wasn't really paying attention. Leona was fain to pull her attention from the stage and only listened to Seirah half-heartedly. She had come out with the intention of enjoying herself, and wasn't about to switch her attention to talk about Orochi's followers.

"I _know_ the Hakkeshu, Leona! I mean the other guitarist! The blonde one? He's pretty cute. Do you know him?"

"Uh-huh…"

"What's his name?"

"Hmm? Who?"

"Leona… you're hopeless."

"... ye-… What was that?"

Leona tore her eyes from the stage to watch Seirah get up and stride off. She briefly wondered where her junior was off to, but Iori was leading the vocals for the next song. Leona rapidly cast everything from her mind and let herself become enraptured by the performance.

* * *

Rock didn't realize how tired he was until after the curtains closed. The pre-concert stress really had done a number on him this morning. Even though Iori had drugged him last night, his sleep was restless. He was still nervous, but his fears had _strangely_ been assuaged by Iori Yagami choking him for ' _you dare insult me by thinking I'll let you fail. I have my fucking shit together, alright Howard? Now shut up and sleep'_.

Maybe Iori actually did know what he was talking about, because there was so much smoke and noise and _energy_ , that Rock stopped being nervous ten minutes in. He had been tired all morning, but the sheer hype of the crowd was like the most powerful shot of caffeine he'd ever experienced. Two hours flew, and Rock was almost disappointed when the last song finished and the curtains descended. He found himself tired, and grinning stupidly at the curtain's fabric after the concert ended.

 _Yeah… that was really fun. Actually… that was amazing! Haha._

Rock shrugged his guitar strap off and squatted to place his bass back into his case. Behind him, everyone else was similarly putting their instrument down and wandering from their stage positions. Athena holstered her microphone, Iori threw his across the floor _(Rock heard it skid)_ , and both immediately went for the cooler to begin chugging water. Kensou stretched and stood in Rock's peripheral vision. Yashiro was chattering in a mocking voice - he was probably messing with Iori again - and Shermie was… _huh, I swear just saw her-_

The moment Rock stood and turned toward the stage, he was almost bowled over as Shermie mashed herself up against him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Rock wasn't particularly comfortable around women, and Shermie seemed to know exactly that. Most of her outfits accented her cleavage, and today she had chosen a particularly revealing one. When she raised her head to smile up at him from behind her fringe, the sight caused Rock to go beet red.

"U-uh, Hi Shermie…w-what's… um-"

She laughed. When she laughed she shook. When she shook, _they_ jiggled against him. Rock squirmed and did his best to look somewhere else.

" _Awww, mon gars…_ _vous êtes adorable!_ I want one of you for myself… "

Yashiro took one look at them, and decided harassing Rock would ultimately be more rewarding than harassing Iori. He wandered over with a mischievous grin on his face. He wasn't here to help Rock out of the situation, and Rock cringed in Shermie's embrace.

"Yashiro, can I keep him? _Just look at him! I need one~_ "

"W-wait! Guys! I-"

Shermie squeezed him tighter whilst Yashiro sauntered to his side. Behind him was the marble wall. He was truly fenced in, but wasn't sure if he was in danger or not. Iori either hadn't seen his predicament, or didn't care.

Yashiro frowned in faux-disappointment.

"What's wrong Rock? You don't like Shermie 'cause you think she's ugly?"

"...What! No! I didn't say that!"

" _Awww… I knew you loved me._ You didn't have to be shy about it~"

Rock couldn't say he didn't like Shermie - she _was_ particularly shapely - but the experience was profoundly uncomfortable for him. The rational part of him was convinced this was a really bad idea. But there was another part of him that was enjoying the contact far too much. The dichotomy made him nervous. He wanted out.

Luckily, Iori and Athena had finished drinking and were walking toward them as they discussed something. They were clearly aiming for the exit. Iori noticed the three of them and furrowed his brow. Rock tried to call to him, but Shermie had anticipated that and squeezed his butt.

He squeaked.

Iori rolled his eyes and walked out the door.

Shermie and Yashiro began snickering.

Rock felt himself die a little on the inside.

* * *

"... uh, boss?"

 _*Gulp*_ "Haaah… what's up Howard."

It was three o'clock in the afternoon and the band had gone back to the hotel. The performance ended at one, they spent a grueling hour and a half greeting fans, and afterwards they were free. Athena and Kensou had probably gone out for lunch, Shermie and Yashiro were upstairs, and Rock was sticking close to his boss. He was tired, but wasn't about to spend the next few hours alone on the same floor as Shermie. She didn't do anything at the concert hall, but clearly enjoyed bullying him. He didn't want to be teased like that again. He'd rather be yelled at by Iori.

When they stepped through the hotel's doors Iori had made a beeline for the in-house restaurant to order something greasy. He seemed to be in a fairly good mood, if not tired and hungry. When the waitress offered him alcohol, he had insisted ' _Nothing for me, thanks. I'm scary enough sober'_. While they waited for food, they didn't share a word. The red-haired man had walked in with a sheaf of papers and seemed to be reading contracts and legal documents. He was entirely consumed by them and barely acknowledged Rock's presence, let alone complimented him on the performance. Rock was a little disappointed that nobody was talking about the concert, but then again everyone was tired. Maybe it was standard to rest for the remainder of the day, he wasn't sure.

"I thought you said you weren't going to drink..."

"Yeah. I know."

A few moments ago, Iori had stepped out to take a phone call, and when he came back, he went for the bar and bought an entire bottle of vodka. His demeanor had changed from ' _fairly jovial'_ to ' _deeply troubled'_ and apparently was convinced that alcohol was going to help. His speech was beginning to slur.

"Uh. So… are you okay? Should I go?"

Rock furrowed his brow as Iori threw back another shot. That was his fourth, and Iori was infamous for his low alcohol tolerance. He also was well known for his incredibly crazy drunken episodes. Rock was seriously considering going back upstairs to be sexually harassed by Shermie, but he had a burger coming and _was_ pretty hungry.

"Go if you want."

The restaurant was dimly lit and the corner where they were situated was beginning to smell like vodka. There was a small wall mounted table-lamp with a green lampshade at their booth. Somebody at the other end of the hotel was chain-smoking, but the fumes hadn't yet reached their end of the restaurant. The documents which Iori had been poring over so earnestly just a moment ago lay scattered across the table. The shot glasses and bottle left ring-shaped liquid stains on the papers.

 _Did his dog die or something?_

They sat in silence for a long while. Iori continued taking shots until he looked sufficiently inebriated. He sat there hunched over the table and holding his head up in one hand. His hair splayed over his face and was tangled through his fingers. It didn't take long for him to look like a mess. He even started hiccuping.

Rock didn't dare ask what was wrong. Iori probably wouldn't tell him.

Drunk Iori tried.

"... I can't fucking do this anymore, Howard... _(hic)..._ I'm done."

"... what?"

"I just started… being able to sleep normal… again. I don't want to go … fuck!"

Iori pushed his forehead into his wrist and stared at Rock through a gap in his bangs. He was wearing a half-crazed, and unsettling expression. Rock squirmed in his seat.

 _What?! Was he bluffing about the concert stuff? He wants to quit? What the hell… maybe it's just the alcohol…_

"... Hey, Iori. I think you'll be fine. You're really good at this."

That made him mad. He slammed his palms against the table and snarled at him. His eyes were entirely obscured by his bangs. Rock flinched and leaned back.

"Good?!... _(hic)..._ I'm the _best_ in the world! Nobody's even close!... That's why it's so _fucking_ shit!... I hate it! I hate it so much! … Dammit!... Hehehe… "

 _He's nuts. I should have hung out with Shermie._

Iori started giggling to himself, and he didn't stop even when the waitress delivered Rock's burger and and a … ' _Kangaroo steak_ '. The lady took one look at him and scurried away as fast as possible, leaving Rock alone with his crazy employer.

"... Fuckheads… going after Kagura again… ugh…"

Iori didn't touch his steak and Rock felt awkward eating his burger. He just sat there, waiting for Iori to stop laugh-crying into his hand. Rock was convinced that this was merely some drunken outburst. Iori wasn't good at hiding his emotions, and was it was impossible for him to fake them. He definitely wasn't freaked out about performances, so he had either confused himself or was talking about something unrelated. Either way, Rock probably wouldn't be affected.

Iori's phone rang. He picked it up and slurred angrily in what seemed to be Japanese. After a moment, he put his phone down and stood shakily. He addressed Rock as he sidled out from the booth.

"I'll… be back tomorrow morning… _(hic)..._ probably..."

"What? Where are you going?"

"I think… Africa?"

"What?!"

"Don't lose my papers."

"Hey! Come back! You're getting scammed, man! I think you're getting kidnapped! Oy! Yagami!"

* * *

 _Ivory coast, actually._

 _Shermie's such a tease. I don't blame her. I want my own duckling too._

 _Leo and Seirah chose a good time to take a break lol_


	16. The Show Must Go On

_Hahaha 'comedy fic'_

 _Everything is Comedy until the merest mention of Devilmom and then we get into trouble._

 _Thanks devilmom._

* * *

"Don't lose my papers."

Iori didn't talk after that.

He didn't need any more human interaction. He had changed his mindset. It was no longer the time to wallow in misery and complain about it to other people. He'd lose sleep over it later on, whether he wanted to or not. It was better to minimize the whining and get this shit over with.

 _You even fucking cried... hah. Sober the fuck up and get moving. We got shit to take care of._

Now was time to work, and there was work to do on the Ivory Coast. There was a KP helicopter waiting for him on the Hotel's helipad. He just needed to take the elevator up, and he'd be in business.

 _So this kid really needs to move._

It took some time for Rock to grab all of Iori's paperwork and pay the restaurant bill, but soon enough he came barreling out of the bar exit to tell his employer all sorts of kidnapping stories he had read online. Iori had hoped the elevator would get him before Rock came running, but alas. He ground his teeth as Rock shook him by the arm and tried to dissuade him from going.

It wasn't that Iori found his guitarist annoying. Rock was generally quiet and conscientious, and was easily tolerated. When Iori first met him, he would've thought Rock's shyness indicated cowardice and a weak resolve. His assumption was proven wrong, much to his surprise, when in that singular day, Rock threatened to beat him to the point of tears. Twice.

 _Heh… nobody does that anymore._

Of course, nobody liked getting their arm broken, but there was something about Rock's hidden boldness that appealed to Iori… _and_ fact he was a musical genius. That was a bonus.

So Iori's prime objective was to retain Rock Howard as a band member. The kid didn't need to see Riot. He should never catch wind of Iori's bloody partnership with IKARI. And he definitely should never know anything about what he has done to do to NESTS… or whoever threatened Chizuru's life. Even though Rock was a fighter, he obviously wasn't a killer. He would run and never look back should he uncover even a fraction of Iori's... _exploits._

 _haah… the kid's worried about my safety?... this is a bad joke._

Iori stared up at the lighted floor numbers at the top of the entryway as he waited for the elevator. There was a pit in his stomach, an uncomfortable, cold feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. What was it? _Shame? Me?..._

Rock was wedged in front of the elevator doorway. He was all worked up and looked convinced this was the last time he'd ever see Iori again. There was the glint of resolve in Rock's eyes, Iori guessed the young man was holding himself responsible for preventing him from being kidnapped. Iori chuckled under his breath. It'd been a long time since somebody was genuinely worried about his safety.

 _Stupid kid... you hardly know me. Don't worry about my stuff..._

It wasn't something he merited. Only 'good' people deserved to be worried over and Iori had lost that designation long ago. Rock was acting out of ignorance. Iori was growing more and more uncomfortable he watched Rock attempting to convince him out of harm's way. That innocent expectation of _'You're a decent human being who deserves to be safe'_ was heaping coals upon his head, they burned there like guilty wounds.

"-and they kept her chained there for three days! They said the police found her body after the kidnappers got the ransom and ran!... Hey! Are you listening to me?! Are you nuts again?... Oy!"

Rock shook him by the arm and tried to push him away from the elevator door. Iori couldn't bring himself to retaliate. He knew he was about to spend the entirety of the evening steeped in brutal violence, and lashing out against one of the few people who felt concern for him was... well, it wasn't like he could be redeemed anyways.

 _If it comes to that._

Rock looked pretty stressed out. His cheeks were flushed and he had managed to make a mess of his hair by running wildly down the hall. He was normally very shy, but when he got worked up, he seemed to forget his reservations entirely. 'Normal' Rock Howard would never have the guts to chase him down, block the elevator entrance, then threaten to call the police if he couldn't ' _-get your head screwed on straight! You're drunk! You're not thinking right! Don't got to Africa!_ '

Iori exhaled and dropped his head to look at his guitarist. When he first walked up to the elevator, he had positioned himself a comfortable distance from it. That distance became uncomfortable when Rock Howard felt it was appropriate to take up the two feet between him and the elevator door. Iori wasn't about to step back and admit defeat, and Rock was too wild-eyed to realize how ridiculous his behavior was. He continued to lecture. Iori watched him sadly.

"Look. This is what's gonna happen. I don't know what the African guy told you, but when the police get here, you can explain what they said. If they think it's okay, then you can go, ok? Alright? Good."

Rock let go of him to stick the sheaf of papers under his arm. He took a moment to wipe his sweaty bangs from his eyes, then rapidly dialed the police. The lighted numbers on the elevator were descending. Iori watched them fall.

… _It's not like I want to go fucking murder people, y'know…_

 _I WANT! GO GO GO!_

 _Fuck you Riot._

If he had a choice, he wouldn't go. He'd never visit those killing fields again. He'd bleach the memories from his mind. He'd happily put his flames to rest forever if that was the cost.

But he had no choice.

It'd been a year since Chizuru last called him for something like this. She was in hysterics. Someone had nearly managed a successful assassination attempt on her, and had killed three of her bodyguards. She sent him a ghastly picture midway through the phone call as she begged him to go. Chizuru must've known there was no need to beg him, she was working to put his doubts to rest. She probably only sent that picture so he wouldn't feel so bad when he butchered… _eugh…_

" _-Yes. Yeah… He needs an ambulance? Uh, sure… yes, he drank too much and-... Thank You!_ Hey Iori, just hold on a few momen-"

*DING*

The elevator had arrived. Iori moved fast. If Rock managed to get into the elevator with him, he wouldn't have another opportunity to lose him. Rock might ask questions, and whoever was manning the helicopter might give him answers, and if he got too much information then…

 _Well, Sorry Howard. You can have the next elevator…_

In one fluid motion, Iori snagged Rock by the front of the shirt and flung him back, away from the opening door. Rock stumbled and exclaimed in shock at the sudden attack, he fumbled his cellphone, but managed to catch it before it hit the floor. Papers flew everywhere. Iori stepped into the elevator and hit the top floor.

Iori felt his gut clench as Rock whirled toward him. He was panicked. He wore the look of betrayal. He looked about ready to lunge into the elevator after him.

 _That won't do. I need to go._

"Yagami! Get back he- _aahh!_ "

He filled the gap between the closing metal doors with purple flames. The heat wafted out, and Rock was forced to shield his face from the encroaching heat. He stumbled further back down the hallway. Papers was being incinerated as they fluttered around the corridor.

Iori called out from behind the crackling flames.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning. Try not to lose my papers."

"Hey! Come back! You can't go-"

The door closed.

The elevator began ascending.

Iori set his heart like stone.

He'd be back tomorrow morning.

* * *

 _Chiz is making that cash money._

 _Yag yeeted his way right outta there kek._


	17. The Emerald Bar

_Shermie hopped on the ship lul._

 _I love these trolls._

 _More harassment. Rock Howard can't catch a break._

 _Enter IKARI gurls._

* * *

It was late afternoon and the sun was setting. Cool salty air blew gently across the creaking pier; seagulls called to each other overhead. Waves lapped gently against the pebble beach, the noise was calming and helped Rock clear his mind.

Which he definitely needed to do.

Because a couple of hours earlier, Yashiro and Shermie had caught him stalking across the lobby . Rock had just finished failing to stop Iori from flying himself to Africa to get himself kidnapped, and was in a decidedly bad mood. It apparently showed on his face, because the duo took one glance at him and decided he needed some comfort - something which he might have needed, but _not_ from Yashiro, and _absolutely not_ from Shermie.

"Awww, don't be such a sourpuss, darling~"

Yashiro and Shermie were following him at some distance with the intention of ' _keeping him company'._ They were keen to stay within earshot, and took great care to enunciate over the soothing sounds of nature. Rock was intent of being grumpy, but the ' _prankster duo's_ loud gossip was making things difficult. He had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from whirling around to defend himself, or otherwise correct them. The moment he did that, they won.

He just put his head down, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and tried to stay upset.

 _They're just trying to provoke you… ignore them… concentrate on the sea… look, the sunset is-_

"Oh but don't worry, you're a cutie even when you're grumpy~ _umph!_ "

Rock knew something was wrong when he heard the methodical beat of heels against the boardwalk suddenly become more rapid. He frowned and turned his head just in time to see the voluptuous woman about to mush herself into his back. She trotted up to him, snaked her arms around his waist, and gave him a quick squeeze.

Rock really should've expected this would happen with Shermie sooner or later, but women made him nervous and the contact made him jump. He released a surprised yelp and made an unsuccessful attempt to break free from her grasp. She let him go after a moment, and fell back into step with a grinning Yashiro.

 _Holy shit, how strong is she?! ack!_

"Aww, Shermie… poor Rock here just got dumped by his boyfriend. You need to respect his sexual preferences."

Rock rolled his eyes, shook himself and hardened his resolve. He wasn't going to say _anything_ to the prankster duo. They'd eventually get bored and leave him alone. _They definitely will… it's been three hours already, they're bound to be bored… please leave…_

"Oh _mon Dieu…_ I wonder who Iori left you for? Perhaps the blonde footballer again?... Or maybe that Kusanagi boy he likes so much~"

Rock ripped his gaze from the horizon, and began walking faster. There was a restaurant at the end of the pier and Rock was hoping to lose Yashiro and Shermie in the small dinner crowd. The electric street lamps lining the boardwalk flipped on as the sky grew darker. The prankster duo's voices grew fainter as Rock power-walked away from them.

" _Shermie, look! You've made him mad. I told you he prefers men…_ "

" _Oh dear, perhaps I should loudly announce an apology for misjudging his orientation."_

" _I think he'd appreciate that."_

* * *

"How many concerts? Are you serious Leona? Where will you find the time for that?!"

"Seirah, it's only a three hour event. Why wouldn't I make it?"

The teenage girl huffed and leaned back into her chair. She adjusted the sunglasses perched atop her head, smoothing down the hair mussed by the nosepiece. It'd been a while since Seirah took time to venture into civilian life. She felt awkward in her shorts and tank-top, but Leona had insisted normal military garb was inappropriate.

They were sitting at a small table sharing a basket of calamari as they waited for their entrees to arrive. Leona had interestingly opted to order coffee with her dinner. In fact, she had taken almost every opportunity to drink coffee she could, claiming ' _It's the best I've ever tasted. There's nothing like it in the world'_ as her defense. Seirah was keen on sleeping this evening, so opted out when Leona encouraged her to try.

"You might not make it, because we have missions! The travel time would be ridiculous. What if we're back in Argentina during the Japan concert? 'Cause I'm pretty sure we're conducting an Op for the Chilean Government in a few weeks."

Leona shrugged and plucked up another fried squid. She looked at Seirah through her long eyelashes and replied with something of a drawl in her voice. _Hang on… she's wearing mascara… She hardly wears makeup…_

"You don't need me for every Operation. Just like today. Nothing ever happens on the Ivory Coast Patrol anyways… and if anything does, the Commander can handle it. We need to live a little bit, don't you think?"

Seirah rolled her eyes and turned away from her senior, casting her gaze across the ocean and the setting sun. They were situated in a diner built at the end of a long pier. The place was a bit casual, and filled with tourists and surfers. It was a beautiful, soulful scenery - one which, until now, Seriah could never envision Leona enjoying.

 _I would never have imagined she liked to attend concerts…_

Leona was normally stoic, cold and nearly emotionless, so much that many IKARI members suspected she had a social disability. It wasn't like her to shirk responsibility either. Everyone had been begging Leona to take a break for quite some time, so it really was a relief that she was finally doing something other than military activities. Especially for the Commander.

 _She's just crushing on the red-hair guy… otherwise she'd probably be slaving away on comms or something… huh… too bad I never got to talk to the guitarist guy… hm, maybe I'll run into him in the Hong Kong Concert-_

At that moment, Rock Howard strode angrily through the automatic doors. He made a beeline for the empty table behind her, plopped into the chair, and buried his head in his arms.

Seirah felt her breath catch in her throat, but swallowed her apprehension. The 'blonde guitarist' was sitting mere inches from her. There was no way she would pass up this opportunity to get an autograph, and maybe a picture with him. He did look pretty upset. _I wonder what's wrong with him… he looked so happy during the concert._

Seirah stood gingerly, and just as she reached out to tap the musician on the shoulder, a heavily accented, sing-song voice floated over the diner.

" _Oh, don't be grumpy, Rocky. I'm sorry I assumed you were straight. Won't you forgive me? I'll introduce you to some nice guys~"_

* * *

 _One day Rock's gonna snap at Yash and shermie and it'll be funny. Those guys are stronk asf bruh._

 _Rock called the ambulance back and told them not to come after he lost his bossman to the depths of elevator._

 _There's actually a resturant on the pier near my house, it burned down a couple of years ago though. I imagine it must be so expensive to get stuff delivered there - not to mention employees need to walk the length of the peir to go to work. what a hassle._

 _Btw, I actually was gone for Lunar new Years. I was on a cruise, so if I haven't been replying - there's my reason. No internet._

Glad to be back tho. Happy new years


	18. Deep-Fried Baseball Cap

_I think my goal is to have Rock try to punch all of the characters. We got Yag once, i think he tried to punch Yashiro too, I don't really remember._

 _Sorry for not uploading more often. Work has taken over my life and tbh I think it's kinda unhealthy at this point. Thinking on making a change, and If it goes smoothly, you'll see me more often. I'll have set hours and times to relax._

 _Wish me luck and enjoy_

* * *

Rock Howard was seriously considering punching out the restaurant window, hopping the dock, and swimming the half mile back to shore _just_ to get away from the terrible duo. He was fairly certain Shermie wasn't willing to ruin her hair and clothes to follow him, and Yashiro stuck to his girlfriend like super glue.

 _At least they're having fun..._

They seemed to take great pleasure in their newfound hobby, which mostly comprised of stalking and attempting to subject him to public embarrassment. Normally they wouldn't push him to such a degree, perhaps because right now Iori wasn't there to stop them. Besides, the red-haired man usually caused enough trouble to sufficiently entertain them, or at the very least, provided them with another outlet for their disruptive energy.

But since Iori decided to get drunk, melt a hole in the elevator's floor, and _apparently_ retire, he couldn't do any of these things for his junior.

Thus, Rock was left alone without his boss, being stalked by a couple of mischievous zombies, and so pissed off he was about to go for a swim.

 _None of this would've happened if I stopped him from drinking… dammit… I bet he destroying the hotel's broom closet or something. Like hell he actually went to Africa…_

Rock sighed into the crook of his elbow, refusing the raise his head. Somebody was standing over him, and he was pretty sure it was Shermie. Rock had always thought Iori was the craziest guy he'd ever deal with - and maybe he was right, but at least the red-haired man wasn't actively trying to make him miserable. Yashiro and Shermie might be less ' _bonkers'_ but they were definitely a _lot_ more malicious.

 _Ugh… I dunno, do I punch her in the boob or something?... But I don't wanna get tazed-_

Rock clenched his fists and tightened the muscles in his arms, as if to more securely shield himself from Shermie, who he assumed was standing over him. The stickiness of the table tugged uncomfortably at his skin. The faint smell of coffee was, at times, overpowered by the scent of greasy finger-food and the ocean's salty breeze. Gulls called from over the pier, and the sky was darkening with the tail end of sunset. The cool of the evening was beginning to creep across the land.

Rock did his best to concentrate on the positives in his surroundings, rather than the two massive negatives who were advertising his apparent homosexuality to the diner crowd.

 _Ugh... Do they do this to everyone? I wonder what boss would do if I ask him to boot them… wait, we still need secondary guitar thou-_

Rock felt a light tap to the shoulder and jerked. His arms, which were stuck to the tabletop via a layer of grease, came free with a sting and an unpleasant skidding noise. Perhaps that was the limit of what he could take. The metaphorical straw that finally killed the ' _camel'_ of his patience. Rock felt a rush of hot anger flowing from his chest into his head. It turned his eyes wild and caused all vestiges of reason and restraint to flee from his brain. Suddenly the idea of being tazed didn't seem so bad anymore. In that moment, he was ready to be struck by lightning just for the opportunity to break Shermie's nose.

"Hi, uh. You're-"

Rock stood rapidly and whirled, grabbing the hand that dared disturb his self-pity-party. The cheap aluminum diner chair skidded backwards, knocked against somebody's leg, and fell over. He didn't even get a good look at _'Shermie'_ before he pulled her closer in preparation to do as much facial reconstruction he could in a single quarter second.

 _I_ _wanna watch you fuckin' bleed, bitch! Die!_

And hell, good thing the 'Howard Family' blood had a sadistic streak to it, otherwise he wouldn't have even looked at the person's face before punching.

Because the person who he had by the wrist wasn't Shermie at all. Instead, a blushing young girl with a shoulder length hair, and the tinge of excitement in her eyes looked up at him. He froze, opposing fist raised. It was obvious to any onlooker that he was about to punch her.

… _oh._

"Oh God, I'm sorry! I didn-"

"Hi sir, a-are you the guitarist from… you are! Aren't you? I never forget a face!"

"Uh…"

She giggled and turned to look for something in her bag. His obvious aggression didn't seem to bother her, and she continued as if nothing had happened at all. There was a blue haired woman who seemed to be the girl's companion. She didn't seem phased either. The rest of the diner crowd cast disapproving stares at him.

He cringed in on himself, quickly letting go of her arm and lowering his fist as discreetly as possible. He felt his face flush red in shame.

 _You're an idiot, Rocky… you can't let anger get the better of you… ugh… damn…_

"Hey, are you okay? I-"

"Can you sign my hat? I bought this cap _just_ for you. Here… write, ' _I love you too, Seirah'..._ Yeah, next to the logo…S-E-I-R-A-H."

"... Okay, sure."

Rock didn't have spectacular penmanship, so he was exceedingly careful with the pink sharpie and the starched white hat. Hell, he felt bad about nearly hurting an innocent bystander, so he was going to do the best he could for this fan. It was the least he could do.

That, and he was too bewildered to do anything but obey anyways. His head was still spinning from the rage and adrenaline. He didn't notice Shermie stalking closer in his peripheral vision.

"Add a heart… please… _thank you, Rock!_ "

Seirah grinned and admired Rock's chicken scratch with starry eyes. She left it in his hands and grabbed be her cellphone to take a selfie. Although he had been on a rollercoaster of different emotions all day, meeting a fan was improved his mood significantly. The reality of being a celebrity hadn't yet dawned on him, and he didn't really know how to handle fans. All he knew was he had made Seirah's day, and was feeling good about it.

Good enough to not break Shermie's nose.

Then there was a crackle, like a localized thunderclap. Rock felt a stinging buzz travel from his fingertips to the soles of his feet. The hat was atomized before his eyes. He made a loud, indecipherable noise.

Seirah followed suit.

"Aaaah! My hat!"

Then, like a great, smirking behemoth, Shermie approached them. Yashiro stood a ways back, he looked upset.

" _Ahahaha~_ ohhh dear. Rocky, I thought you loved me? Why are you writing letters to other girls _hmmm~_? I'll have to punish yo-"

Seirah's expression changed entirely, as if she became a different person. She suddenly looked hard, and stern, and cold. Her movements went from light and easy, to firm and methodical.

She firmly and methodically pulled a pistol from beneath her skirt and shot Shermie in the stomach.

So Rock Howard punched through the window, hopped into the pier, and ran like a madman for shore.

* * *

I think the writing quality has fallen a bit. Once I get back into the groove, I'll be better. Legit haven't written a literary sentence in like a month lol.


	19. Delivery

_Babysitting._

 _:)_

 _Dad being dad._

* * *

"This crazy chick just pulled out a gun from her purse and shot Shermie in the stomach! It was absolutely nuts! She was sitting right behind me too!"

 _*What?! Are you okay, Rock? Was she a terrorist?*_

Rock rolled into his side to look at the cellphone on the bedside table. He reached out to turn up the speaker's volume to better hear his father's voice. He had just hopped out of a hot shower and was laying in bed dressed in the hotel-provided bathrobe, soaking one of his pillows with a head of wet hair. Rock knew he should've blow-dried since his hair was too thick to towel through, but he had never used a dryer before and wasn't willing to figure it out. It'd probably make him puff up into an afro or something. It wasn't that cold anyways. He'd live.

"I'm okay, but I don't know about Yashiro and Shermie. It's been a couple of hours and I haven't seen them around. Also some people fell into the ocean because part of the pier collapsed."

Rock lay back down on his back and threaded his fingers behind his head. He spoke loudly in order his voice registered on the receiver.

 _*Whoa… you didn't fall did you?*_

"Uh...Well I jumped the dock once the place started shaking. I figured it was safer to swim out of the way, then to risk getting hit. The wood beams looked real heavy."

That was a lie. The part of the pier which had 'collapsed' was a railing, and Rock was the only one who was freaked out enough at the shaking to jump the dock. He felt incredibly foolish when the shaking stopped shortly after he surfaced and was met with the dock-fishermen's amused looks. He quickly swam to shore and did his best to cast the incident from his memory.

 _I'm so lucky my phone is waterproof… If I broke it, Iori would definitely freak out. Again._

Rock closed his eyes and released a long sigh. He had decided he wouldn't tell his father about the harassment Shermie and Yashiro had dealt upon him. Terry would probably get angry and start some trouble. It was already a miracle the band was staying together, much less gotten anything done considering the people involved. Iori himself was usually enough to wreck any situation, but he had brought along Shermie and Yashiro to ensure the trip remained in a constant state of chaos. Any outside pressure was sure to collapse the entire operation.

 _*That's my boy. I hope nobody got hurt. I didn't see anything on the news so nobody died at least. You looked good on TV by the way! I think you're a natural. You did great, buddy. I'm proud of you.*_

Rock couldn't help but grin at that. Affirmation was nice and he was honestly starved for it. He felt he had accomplished a lot in these past few days, and nobody had acknowledged him at all. After the first concert he'd done at the cajun restaurant, he'd expected some sort of compliment from his employer.

Of course, he didn't get any. Nobody had given him any feedback at all, negative or otherwise. It was as if everyone had forgotten about the concert entirely. Hearing his dad address it made Rock happier than expected. He grinned stupidly at the ceiling.

"Thanks Dad. I needed to hear that."

* _No problem bud. Oh, by the way, Is the psycho treating you alright?*_

Rock smirked as he realized who Terry was referring to.

"Uh, well he's super weird and he dresses super bad in public. It's sorta embarrassing walking around with him. Otherwise… He hasn't been _that_ bad. He trying to be nice… I think… maybe."

Terry laughed over the phone.

 _*Haha, maybe? Well… I guess that's good. It's the best you're gonna get out of him. Stick close, then. I know you're technically an adult, but it's be safer if you stay with someone who knows the ropes. You don't wanna get lost - especially when you go to Asia.*_

Rock binked and felt a twinge of guilt as he lied. Terry definitely didn't need to know that Iori had gone insane and bailed a couple of hours ago. At this very moment he could be anywhere. Perhaps he was pretending to be spiderman and crawling up buildings, or maybe he had found some barfight to participate in, maybe he was in Africa eating dirt _._

"Sure. I'll stick close."

 _*Alright kiddo… well it's morning here and I've got some stuff to take care of. Imma let you go go now.*_

"Ok. Bye Dad."

 _*Miss you*_

"Miss you too."

* * *

Rock was startled out of a rather peaceful sleep by a loud knocking at his door. He rolled onto his side, checked his phone, and groaned - briefly wondering who the _hell_ was bothering him at 4am.

 _Literally it could be any of them. They're all nuts… urg, just ignore them Rocky._

He folded the pillow he was laying on and pinned it against his ears in an attempt to muffle the noise of insistent pounding at his door. He could make out some low chatter outside his door and grimaced as he glared. He didn't recognize any of the voices, but he wasn't trying to either. Last night, Iori had melted his door handle off, so instead of a traditional lock, Rock had moved the dresser to block the doorway. Whoever was outside was _really_ trying to get in because the dresser was slowly being pushed away and a long needle of hallway-light burst in - hitting him squarely in the eye.

 _Gaah! Leave me alone!_

That was enough. Rock tossed his blankets off with unnecessary violence, kicked aside the dresser (something his throbbing foot would cause him to regret later-on) and wrenched open the door to yell at whoever had the audacity to bother him so late at night.

He didn't know exactly who he expected to see. It didn't matter. He would treat them the same way. Probably yell at them for waking him and threaten to call room service. He'd probably slam the door in their faces as well.

None of those things happened though, because by the time his eyes adjusted to the light, he was too confused to start yelling and screaming.

Because outside his door were eight seemingly identical men in sharp black suits. Each wore a set of dark sunglasses, an earpiece and a serious expression. One of the men in the back was carrying somebody over his shoulder. Rock could see the captive's hands duct taped behind his back, but couldn't see who it was. Rock sputtered at them. He was keenly reminded he had only worn his boxers to sleep and was standing there nearly naked.

 _"huh?"_

Before Rock could figure out what was happening, one of the men confirmed his identity and proffered a clipboard. It looked like a standard shipping confirmation, but instead ' _FedEx_ ', the logo read ' _KP- Kagura Pharmaceuticals_ '

"Would you please sign here?"

" _What?!"_

"We need to make sure we deliver him," the man indicated toward the unconscious person whose hands were duct taped "To the right place. Please sign Mr. Howard. We're on a tight schedule."

"Who-"

The man carrying the captive walked over and shoved past him as he entered the room. Rock immediately recognized his boss and choked out a protest as the CIA man deposited him on the bed.

"If he wakes up and starts acting up, inject him with this. He should be alright by morning. Here."

The man tried to hand him what looked like an Epi-pen. Rock continued to sputter.

" _What the hell!? What the hell is this?!"_

"Please calm down sir."

 _"Calm Down?! Who the hell are you guys!"_

* * *

 _Har._

 _Yag's back from africa. He makes his entrance as an amazon package. lul_


	20. Hairball Boi

_Tying up some stuff with Shermie. Don't know if Whip and Leona are gonna be back. Maybe just Leona next time._

* * *

"Isn't that going to cause problems with… digestion?"

"Ugh, babe. You're the only one of us who enjoys eating. You know full well we don't need to food."

"But it tastes good."

"That's your weakness, not mine… pass me the staples."

Shermie snatched the cashier's stapler from her boyfriend and stuck herself in the stomach twice in quick succession - neatly closing the bullet wound. In order to get a better angle she had tipped one of the diner's cheap aluminum chairs precariously on its back legs and slung her _own_ legs into the tabletop. She recognized she was giving half of the stunned dining crowd a rather generous view, but at the moment she couldn't care less. It wasn't like she was shy about that sort of thing anyways.

Besides she was grouchy.

She had a good reason to be, too.

 _All_ she had done was to mess with Howard and his cute little fan, and what happened? A bullet to the gut?! _Really! What does a girl have to do to have some fun around here. Ugh… the little bitch. They even managed to escape! Why did they have a helicopter waiting them anyways?! Who were they?!_

"Here, you're leaking."

Shermie made an annoyed noise and snatched the wad of tissues from Yashiro's hand. She daintily dabbed the blood leaking from the the seams of the staples. When it kept flowing, she clenched her teeth and stapled the tissues on as well. She quickly pulled her tight top over the makeshift bandages to continue pressure on the wound. She huffed, put the rest of her clothes back in order, and stood, clearly ready to leave. She glanced around from behind her long red bangs at the many shocked and confused expressions from the diner's constituents. She curled her lip into a snarl.

"What are you looking at?!"

"Shermie, don't."

Yashiro whisper-shouted at her as he gently laid a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off and stomped her heels on the white linoleum floors. The noise rang loudly across the deathly silent room. The air was cold and there was a large hole in the floor near the center of the room. That was courtesy of Yashiro after the _stupid_ little bitch decided to shoot her. Shermie was glad he stepped in for her, but was annoyed that he hadn't managed to kill her, or her blue-haired friend.

"Keep your eyes to yourself! ugh! "

"Shermie..."

She knew why they were staring, it didn't stop her from getting annoyed at them though. They were wondering why she had, upon being shot in the gut, decided first aid wasn't necessary, and had resorted to removing the bullet with a fork. If she had been alive… well, alive in the same capacity normal people were, the process would've been intolerably painful. Thankfully, pain was all but muted for the reanimated Hakkesshu. She felt what she wanted to.

" _What the hell… didn't she just get shot?..."_

" _-wait is she a zombie or something? What's happenin-..."_

" _That's … CYS right? I thought they died three years ago?! How are they here-..."_

She grimaced. She wasn't quite sure how she was alive, and frankly she wasn't too interested. She'd be here for several months then suddenly one day would find herself in limbo… waiting for Orochi to toss her back into the real world. Attributing it to ' _god's'_ power was the easiest thing to do. She didn't care enough to worry her head about the science. She was pretty short sighted, and it had worked out for her so far. Her current worry was alcohol. She didn't need her intestines for food, since she refused to eat anyways, but she was worried about leaking when she drank.

Because she definitely needed a stiff drink immediately.

She huffed and turned to Yashiro. He had crossed his arms over his chest and stood behind her, overshadowing her with his massive frame. He had always been there for her, through thick and thin, no matter how insufferable she got… she really needed to treat him better.

She reached out and tugged at the corner of his jacket before wrapped her arms around his waist. He seemed momentarily startled before gingerly reaching down to squeeze her about the shoulders. She murmured into his shirt. She could feel the thrum of his words reverberate in his chest as he responded.

"Babe, let's go home. I need some beauty sleep."

"Alright. Want me to carry you?"

"Mhmm~"

* * *

 _The sun is dead. The earth is black. I can see a thousand miles into the distance. There's nothing but ash in every direction._

 _(Ah… what's that?)_

 _A hand over there, the thumb and index fingers are gone and the exposed bone is dyed a deep red. The nails have been torn up by the roots. There's a golden band on the ringfinger. The engraving reads: Robert and Melinda._

 _(Where am I? Who's Robert?)_

 _Red mist rises from the charred battlefield. It has a thick, underwater quality as it swirls upwards to form a man's figure. The hand rises with it to take its place. It's Robert. Melina will never see him again._

 _(What's happening... smoke doesn't act like that...)_

 _He looks at me and howls. That sound… It's rage mixed with incalculable sadness and horror. The scream grates on my ears. It's like being stabbed in the eardrums. The keening sound of loss and desperation, ah, it splits my chest apart and exposes my heart to the cold winds. It chills my very being. I think I'm dying..._

 _(Something's wrong.)_

 _His eyes are pits, his skin is gray and mottled. It's composed of the white ash that was peppered across the battlefield. This is what i've reduced him to. He points at me accusingly. I stand there guiltily. Gritting my teeth at the noise. I want to run, but I can't move._

 _(Am I paralyzed? Why am... oh.)_

 _Then, mist begins to rise over the plain. They take the shapes of men. Men of all shapes and sizes. Men of all nationalities and walks of life. An army of them… the men I've killed. They stretch out into the horizon. The stare at me with their pit eyes. They lift their hands to point at me…_

 _(Ugh... dammit.)_

 _Then they open their mouths._

 _(Fucking Kagura)_

 _And they howl their condemnation upon me._

" _Mov-"_

 _(I'm fucking dreaming again... I should have drugged myself. This is shit. I'm gonna be a wreck when I wake up.)_

" _Move!"_

My eyes snap open as the adrenaline hits my brain.

I feel dizziness as blood rushes from my head. As I gasp and scrabble at the sheets, looking for purchase on the silken bedding.

Everything is sore and everything else is tender, so when I flop onto the floor I can't keep in a groan of discomfort

My brain is still numb from my recent nightmare, so the sudden impact _really_ didn't help. Well, no matter. I hadn't been struck so whatever Instinct was telling me to dodge, I had done so successfully. I shake the stars from my eyes and look across the bed to see what sort of idiot was trying to attac-

"Howard?! What the heck?!"

Rock's expression was a mixture of anger and exasperation. He looked tired, as if he'd been up all night… but most importantly, he had stabbed an epi-pen into the mattress where I'd been laying just a moment ago. I suddenly became keenly aware of a sharp pinprick on my left thigh… _he got me once before?_

"Why the hell are you trying to stab m-"

"WHY?! WHY?! BECAUSE-"

He pointed to the curtain as he shouted me down... or, pointed at what was left of it. Someone had torn it to bits and about half of it was missing.

"-The last time you woke up, your eyes rolled back into your head, you started jabbering _literal_ nonsense, and fucking _ate_ the curtains! Like what the fuck man! What's wrong with you!"

* * *

 _Yag's gonna be choking up hairballs_

 _guess I'll have to explain what actually happens in Africa later on. sit tight_

 _love you all._

 _also review, say hi._

 _tkx_


	21. Pants

_Riot games_

* * *

 _Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click._

Rock Howard scrunched his nose against his pillow and grunted, half asleep, at the disturbance. He was vaguely aware of hot, moise air being blown at him, but thought nothing of it. There was also the faint smell of charcoal. He absentmindedly wiped his hand across his face, and continued to enjoy his well earned rest.

 _Click. Click. Click._

It was getting more annoying now… and louder… and closer. Rock cracked a blurry eye open briefly but it was too dark to see anything recognizable. He thought he could make out the outline of a person standing… over him?... nah. Who would even be here. He was too tired to deal with anything right now. Some time ago - Rock wasn't quite sure how long, everything was a blur - a group of CIA agents had showed up at his door, made him sign a paper, and threw Iori in _his_ bed - automatically consigning him to the couch. Then and after _that_ …

 _Click. Click. Click._

What happened after that?... oh, they also gave him an epi-pen, which we was supposed to use in case his boss woke up and started acting strange…

 _I wonder what they were on about._

…

 _In case… Boss… wakes… oh shit!_

Rock snapped his eyes open and startled himself awake. It took only a moment for his eyes to adjust to the inky darkness, but the moment they did-

"Holy Shit, Iori!?"

 _Click. Click._

Iori was standing over him, hunched over so his face was only about six inches away from Rock's. It was dark, but Rock was pretty sure his bosses pupils had rolled completely into the back of his head. He wore his trademark too-wide smile, exposing the gums above his molars and giving him a bestial appearance. His was teeth clicked together each time he exhaled.

Naturally Rock freaked out and attacked him out of reflex. Upon reflection, he realized it likely wasn't the best idea, but it didn't matter. His fist didn't connect. Iori… or, _whoever_ had possessed him caught his hand mid flight and just held on. He began talked to himself while tightly squeezing Rock's fist. The whole time his teeth chattered, making whatever he was saying indecipherable. Frankly it was terrifying.

 _Holy shit, Holy shit!_

Rock was fully awake now. He whipped his hand out of Iori's grasp and threw himself off the couch, into the floor. There, he scrambled to his feet. The whole while, Iori remained motionless, hand still in the air. His head turned, as if on a swivel, to follow him.

"What are you doing?! What-"

It didn't seem like Iori understood anything he said. He just continued to stare at him, grinning. Rock panted at him, confused with the entire situation. Maybe it was because he just woke up, but everything was feeling surreal.

 _Why is he like that… wha-... no way. The Blood Riot?! Like at that tournament where Kyo almost died? Oh fuck!_

But unlike at that tournament, Iori didn't seem to be interested in attacking. It didn't seem to be the Blood Riot. He just stood there motionlessly. Was he… sleepwalking? _He talks in his sleep a lot… maybe he walks too?_

Iori seemed content to watch Rock with his pupiless eyes from his station beside the couch. Behind _Iori_ was the door. Rock's escape. Rock was certainly freaked out, but he didn't feel as if his life was in any sort of danger. After all, Iori did a great manner of strange things, but never before had he actually dealt Rock any harm. At least, not physical harm. Mental trauma was a whole 'nother ball game.

 _I heard it's not good to wake someone up while sleepwalking… but this is too weird… why was he even looking at me like that! So creepy…_

"Hey… hey Yagami? Hello?... hey man, wake up… "

Rock narrowed his eyes as he whispered loudly at the figure standing a few metres from him. He was wearing nothing but his trousers, and sort of hoped Iori would go back to sleep instead of 'waking up' and asking about his wardrobe choices. After all, Yashiro was pretty certain Iori had _a thing_ for him, and Rock-…Well, Rock didn't want to encourage any such behavior.

Thankfully Iori hadn't done anything overt _yet_ and just continued to stare and click his teeth.

… _I should really just hop the bed and leave… but I don't wanna walk around in underwear either. What if Shermie catches me!?_

Rock grumbled to himself as his eyes adjusted more sharply to the light, he was able to make out the state of the bed. Three of his four pillows had been torn in half, dusting the room in feathers. The blankets were on the floor and there were long gashes in the mattress. The very beginnings of daybreak were peeking over the horizon, and the dim grey light filtered through the blinds. His suitcase was somewhere behind Iori. He would need to get to it and at least get some pants on before he left the room.

 _Ok… I'll just move slowly and not make any sudden mov-... what's that?_

Iori had now turned entirely towards him and was squeezing and unsqueezing his hands. The lighting allowed Rock to noticed the the tips of Iori's fingers were stained. Dark liquid had run beneath his fingernails and drew lines there. It looked like they had been hastily wiped down, but for what reason?

 _What is that? Jeez. I hope it's nothing gross… hang on… could it be… like blood? No way…_

Rock frowned to himself and tensed up. He briefly reprimanded himself. He _knew_ this was just some weird sleepwalking thing, but he couldn't help but feel a rush of relief when he spotted the Epi-pen on the floor beside him. When he lunged off the couch, he must have knocked the Epi-pen off the coffee table. He quickly snatched it up and braced himself.

"Hehe… Duck- _..._ Duckling… "

 _What? Did he just call me-_

"Hehehaha… shine… "

… _is he just messing with me? No… he's got no sense of humor…_

Perhaps it was because it was so early, or maybe because Rock was so accustomed to being afraid of the small things his boss did, that he failed to acknowledge the real danger in this situation. If any other person was standing in Rock Howard's place, they would've been cut to pieces ages ago. However unbeknownst to Rock, Riot had quite satisfied his bloodlust for the night, and was instructed to be ' _nice'_ to the ' _duckling'_.

"Shiny…"

Rock couldn't help but flinch as Iori, rather, Riot took a labored step in his direction. His pupils had rolled back to the front of his head, and we're completely contracted. His joker grin cracked apart as he laughed. Rock spotted a fabric that looked very much like the curtains, sticking out from the corner of his mouth. Only now did he realize that Iori was chewing on something… He turned to check the condition of the curtain behind him, and-

 _Are you kidding me? Is he actually eating it?... uh… this is too weird…_

Rock slowly backed against the wall as he approached. He glanced rapidly from side to side looking for a route of escape. There was no clear path. Rock was slowly being cornered. If he ran, he was going right past Iori.

 _Do… do I fight… no… he's just being weird again… and he'll chew me out if I punch him… I just need to get out._

Rock muttered a curse to himself and started moving along the wall, hoping to vault over the bed and make a dash for the door once he got out of Iori's range. His door was 'locked' shut via cabinet barricade, and he would need to shove it aside to get out. Hopefully his lunatic boss would just stand there and not do anything.

 _Alright… a little further… oka-_

 _*Thud*_

Rock's vision momentarily went black as a tremendous force knocked into him, squashing him against the wall. Iori had come at him so quickly, he didn't even have time to process it. The impact squeezed all the air out of his lungs, and he slowly slid to the floor clutching his stomach. He struggled there, gasping and desperately trying to gulp air. He almost couldn't believe what had just happened.

 _He just-... no way did he just attack me?… fuck! Is it the Riot after all! Am I dead?! Ohh fuck…_

Iori stood over him, his expression unchanged. That same leering grin glinted in the pale morning light. The look in his eyes was cold and vacant, as if he were seeing nothing at all. Rock aimed a kick at Iori's leg, but… it had no effect. It was like kicking a tree trunk.

 _What the hell… is- (haah)... I need to get out of here… I need to run, I-… the syringe!_

"Duck… Shiny."

Iori proffered something in a closed fist, but Rock wasn't about to play any more games. The CIA man had insisted the Epi-pen was for this purpose, so Rock was just going to use it. Eating fabric and being excessively creepy certainly fulfilled the criteria of ' _acting strangely'_ , right?

"Take… shin- _eahh?!_ "

Rock savagely struck out with the syringe, plunging it deep into Iori's thigh. The man cried out and staggered, he dropped whatever he was holding and reeled backwards until he collapsed at the foot of the bed. In thirty seconds he was unconscious and sleeping peacefully.

Rock remained seated against the wall, trying to recover his breath. His brain reeled at a feverish pace. Had Iori Yagami just attacked him? Surely… _he just bodyslammed me… but... I-I don't know. Is he dangerous?_

Rock shook his head and sighed.

He had just done his first concert, and he'd liked it. At this point he didn't want to leave. He immediately began making excuses on his boss's behalf. Soon enough, he had convinced himself that it had been some sort of accident on Iori's part.

 _Jake and Rob, they've been in the band for years right? And they're not even fighters…besides, this job pays a ton. I bet-_

Rock had absentmindedly brushed his hand across the carpet when he touched something hard and sharp. He frowned and picked it up to observe it more closely. Perhaps it was the ' _shiny'_ his sleepwalking boss was trying to give to him. It was about the size of his thumbnail and-

… _oh fuck._

 _What the fuck! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!_

He threw it across the room as quickly as he could. It bounced off the wall and disappeared somewhere beneath the furniture. Rock sat on the floor, frozen.

 _A tooth! A human molar._

… no fucking way…

 _It had a silver filling..._

… But that's... that means he-

 _Beat the shit out of someone? maybe a bar fight?_

Or worse.

 _No... no way..._

What if he's a killer... a real life killer?!

 _Then what am I supposed to do?!_

I can't let him know.

 _I can't let him know what I know._

* * *

 _The nasty begins._

 _FRIGGIN THANKS DEVILMOM._

 _lol she was the one who sent him down to ivory coast. you can see the premise in last chapter of 'Good Morning'_

 _kk, time to play secrets :)_

 _bye now_


	22. A Pearl of Great Price

_Here's some character development for Kensou._

* * *

They were all in the hotel lobby with their luggages, waiting for the taxi to bring them to the airport. The musical equipment was to be shipped to Hong Kong separately - it was too fragile to be thrown around by airport employees. Iori was in the lobby, directing the packaging process. Athena sat by his side, on the phone with her manager. She had calmed down a lot after the success of yesterday's concert. For her sake, _and for his own_ , he had prayed the kid didn't blunder on-stage. Thankfully he didn't. Kensou meant to go congratulate him with what little English he spoke, but was promptly whisked away with Athena's PR matters.

 _Well, I guess I can do it now… but the kid looks busy…_

Across the lobby, Rock was staring listlessly at an inch-thick stack of sheet music. He was squashed between Shermie and Yashiro, who seemed to be attempting to harass him, but was too lost in thought to be bothered.

 _Not lost in thought… more like… disturbed? I wonder what happened to him… did Yagami do something?_

Sie Kensou was incredibly good at reading people.

No, he couldn't read minds. His psychic powers didn't go to such lengths…

He needed to read people because he had to deal with Athena.

His girlfriend was a handful, to say the least.

Strong-willed. Stubborn. Aggressively career minded. Temperamental. Obsessed with her public image. All reasons for her success. She was the Idol of the people. She bowed to the idol of her status.

Granted, there were days where she was the sweetest of women. When they were relaxing, she was almost a different person. Kensou loved it when she took a day off. They'd spend the afternoon lazily chatting over coffee, enjoying life, enjoying each other… but when the tours came around, she got temperamental..

 _Haah… I wish she'd just retire… it's not healthy for her either, and she knows it._

Last summer Kensou had accompanied his girlfriend down to Sicily for one of her concerts. The concert had gone badly - plagued with technical issues, a particularly unexcited crowd, problems with the funding, problems with the permit, people asking for ticket refunds… almost everything had gone wrong.

Kensou did his best to comfort her as they walked the hallway back to their hotel room, but Athena wouldn't be comforted. She was the type to run scenarios over and over in her head, visualizing what could have gone better, imagining what she could have done to improve the event etc… Athena Asimaya expected perfection from herself, and when she didn't deliver, it crushed her.

She was nearly in tears by the time they reached their hotel room - whose door was ajar.

When they walked in, they found two masked figures digging through their luggages. Clothes were scattered everywhere. Electronics were strewn across the floor. There were documents all over the place.

Athena's tears of disappointment rapidly turned to tears of rage.

One of the robbers took a single look at her and bailed via the fire-escape. The other took a bit too long, and was caught by Athena's monster psychic power. His arm immediately twisted in on itself, crunching and cracking as he screamed in pain. Athena would have killed the him, had Kensou not stopped her. They had him arrested. The police took him away.

Later on, unbeknownst to his girlfriend, he had gone to visit the jail to give robber a piece of his mind before they left the country. Much to his surprise, the person was a mere child, fifteen years of age and forced into Mafia work- likely under threat. Gangs in the area seemed to have a nasty habit of using juveniles to do their dirty work, since courts wouldn't sentence them to death.

The kid's mother was there, pleasing for mercy for her son. The police were well aware of the situation, but only moved when they saw cash. The woman, evidently poor, had been unable to produce a sufficient bribe. Her boy would serve 10 years.

He had also lost his right arm entirely. It had been amputated at the shoulder. Athena had mangled it so badly there was nothing to be done. Kensou had never seen such a look of bitterness on a face so young.

It broke his heart.

But he wouldn't let it break Athena's. He went back to the hotel that night and told her what an unforgivable evildoer the robber was. He wove a tale about how he was a wanted criminal and was a high member in the Sicilian mafia. He told her the police were trying to catch him for years, and that with her help, they now finally had him.

Because sometimes the truth wasn't necessary.

Telling Athena this wouldn't help anyone. Not her, not him… _maybe the kid would've gotten a new arm, but… but Athena comes first… yeah…_

Maybe it was selfish of him. But at least he stayed true to his dream.

For years his singular goal was to gain the affections of Idol Athena Asimaya. Every breath he took was to work toward that goal. He had suffered for it: embarrassment, rejection, bad press, the contempt of the masses. He had caused others to suffer as well - he had left his family to join Chin's dojo just to get close to her. He hadn't seen them in years.

But he was happy. Because he had obtained a priceless treasure. Perhaps he held her so highly because he had paid so dearly for her. He was willing to do anything for her sake. He would serve her hand and foot. He was truly enamored, and wasn't afraid to admit it.

So even when she did something like _that..._

Sure, he felt sympathy - he had always been a mild and empathic fellow.

But the feelings of empathy didn't trump his love.

Athena was his jewel.

She could do no wrong in his eyes.

* * *

 _You thought Kensou was a good guy? hah. you know me well enough._

 _Everyone's a scumbag._

 _lol that moment when Kensou is lowkey Griffith ha!_

 _rekt._

 _roast me on discord._


	23. Music Theory Rage

_I'm still alive._

 _Happy labour day!_

* * *

The flight from Sydney to Hong Kong was unexpectedly long at nine and a half hours. As an American who had never travelled out of country before, Rock had expected Australia to be closer. But alas, the flight, plus airport time, meant nearly 16 straight hours sitting next to his lunatic ' _maybe-serial-killer'_ boss.

 _Where the hell did he get that tooth!?_

Rock side eyed the man seated beside him. Iori had booked the window seat and was currently unconscious and wearing an eye mask. He was muttering to himself, but this time his topic had changed from ' _I have a crush on Brian Battler'_ to ' _Larry the ceiling friend'._ It Rock put his headphones in, he didn't have to listen.

Naturally, Rock wished with everything he had _not_ to be sitting next to his boss right now. When he first booked the flight, he had the choice of: sticking close to the boss and probably suffering the effects of excessive weirdness, or staying away and potentially getting lost in a foreign country. He chose the first - and now he was seriously considering the other option. After the incident where Iori had gone ballistic, kneed him in the stomach, and handed him a human molar, he neither apologized nor gave any explanation for his behavior. Rock was trying not to assume the worst, but his mind kept wandering in that direction.

 _Just… he probably punched somebody… and picked up… the tooth? No… that's gross…_

They had taken off about half an hour ago, and were now safely a mile in the sky. They were flying some asian airline, so the announcements were extra long as they had to be repeated in two languages. Passengers were supposed to be listening during the seatbelt demonstrations (It was Rock's second time seeing them, so he paid rapt attention) but Iori had decided that was an appropriate time to pop his pills and pass out.

Athena and Kensou were murmuring Chinese from in the seats directly behind them. Yashiro and Shermie were in the front and both firmly engrossed in the movie selection. Rock considered himself a bit of a movie buff, so he had already seen all the films on board - and thus had nothing to do. He sighed and scrolled through the music section, searching for something to pique his interest for the next nine hours.

 _I thought flying would be exciting… it actually sucks. Ugh…_

Rock sighed and stretched. He glanced over to Iori again and pondered for a moment. The guy was pretty weird and aggressive, but looking at him now - muttering nonsense and drooling on himself - it was a bit hard to think he was a serial killer. After all, he was such a public figure. It'd be impossible to cover up something like _murder_ right?

 _Of course… don't be dumb Rocky. He probably punched somebody and grabbed their tooth because he's a complete wacko. That's it._

Rock reassured himself of his boss's rather dubious qualities before turning his attention back to the screen in front of him. He was halfway down the R&D section when an airline attendant tapped him on the shoulder and offered him a variety of sodas. He couldn't read any of the labels, and the lady didn't seem comfortable translating, so he chose the purple one for himself and a bottle of water for Iori. The soda was terrible, so Rock drank the water instead.

 _Oh… Queen's album? Hmm… the classics are always good._

Rock decided he would make this time productive, and try to practice some of the music theory Iori had been drilling into his head for the past three months. He had perfect pitch - sure, but he wasn't quite sharp on the chords, the sevenths, the fifths, the arpeggios etc…

 _Hmm… 130 beats per minute? Wait… they key signature is ¾ or ⅔…_

He was just getting into the music when somebody tapped him on the shoulder to take his half finished grape soda. He was startled out of his deep concentration, and felt a little annoyed, but quickly was sucked back into the music. He was determined to at least get the counting right before the next time they practiced. Iori was a hell of a slavedriver, but _-surprising-_ was a pretty effective teacher. He also wasn't above meting out praise when he felt it was deserved. It was a nice break from the constant screeching.

 _Alright Rocky… it's ⅔ timing so the beats are slower. We're looking at, uhhh-_

"Hello sir, have you chosen your lunch option?"

Somebody tapped him on the shoulder to take a lunch order. Rock startled and kneed the pull-down table in front of him. It smacked against the back of Shermie's seat and she turned to pout at him.

"Uh, y-yea the… lasagna please? Sorry Shermie."

" _C'est pas grave, mon gars~_ "

… _okay… just ignore her… phew, okay um… was it ¾ or ⅔? Um…_

Five minutes after that, somebody tapped him on the shoulder to deliver his lunch. He had been in the middle of determining the key change in the second ballad section of ' _Bohemian Rhapsody'_ when his attention, and his analysis of the song, was promptly whisked away by the interruption. He sighed and began eating, but returned his attention back to the music. He was going to figure this stuff out. He had already set his mind on it.

 _Okay… so 130 bpm. That's a C# major, but is it a seventh?... hm…_

Four minutes later, after Rock had settled back in and had refocused, somebody reached across to try and tap Iori for his lunch order - Rock jerked and stopped them.

Four minutes after that, somebody else tried the same. Rock stopped them again.

Twenty minutes passed before somebody tapped him on the shoulder to take his lunch away. Rock was getting annoyed.

Another ten minutes and somebody tried to feed Iori again. Rock had to restrain himself from slapping away the arm that reached across him.

Two minutes later, somebody offered him bad grape soda again. He was ready to bite someone.

Another ten minutes and somebody tried to wake Iori, to offer _him_ grape soda. Rock slapped the hand away as it reached across him. _So this is why Boss always takes the window seat…_

He sighed and refocused, promising to himself that the next person who interrupted him was going to get punched in the stomach. Well… maybe if it was a woman, he'd just… sternly tell her not to bother him anymore. _Not gonna hit a lady… especially in public like this._

 _..._

 _Probably shouldn't hit anyone actually…_

Rock took a few deep breaths and pushed his annoyance away. He was cool. He was calm. These people were just doing their jobs and weren't trying to annoy him at all. It was the motivation that counts, right? _Just breathe. Okay, let's look at the last section of-_

At that moment, somebody standing in the aisle reached across and pointed a gun at Iori's head. Of course, Rock didn't know it was a gun. He had gone cockeyed with a sudden - pent up rage - and elbowed _who he thought_ was another nosy attendant squarely in the balls.

" _Get away! Leave me al-_ "

*BANG-BANG*

" _Gaah!"_

It took a moment for the ringing in his ears to cease and his vision to return. All around, passengers were panicking, and attendants came running toward them. The assailant was a tattooed Japanese man in a suit who - Rock was now realizing was likely an assassin coming after his boss. The man was floating in the air with his arms twisted behind his back. He shouted and flailed uselessly. His gun had been compressed into a neat, dark gray sphere, and was floating by his head.

Rock turned around to see Athena standing from her chair. She had her eyes focused on the floating man, who was slowly rotated near the ceiling. He was shouting in a language Rock didn't understand, but recognized was Japanese. Maybe he was mafia? _Did he just fire at gun at Iori- oh shit!_

Rock whipped around toward his employer. He recognized he was suffering a delayed panic attack, but was more worried about Iori being _alive_ than his composure during an assasination attempt. Athena had captured the aggressor, but had Iori survived the encounter?!

… _is he dead? Or still asleep… are those… bullets?_

Two bullets spun slowly in place. One was positioned three centimetres from Iori's temple, the sharp tip nearly scratching his skin. The other flew wide and was floating with it's tip about to pierce the hull of the aircraft.

 _Oh shit, if it had gone through the hull… would the airplane explode? I swear that's what happens in the movies… did Athena just save all of us?! Wait, is Yagami still sleeping?_

He was still sleeping. Rock wasn't sure how powerful your drugs had to be in order to sleep through gunshots going off three feet from you, but he made a mental note not to ever take Iori's sleeping pills. He was still wearing his eye mask and happily clicking away with his teeth, defenseless and oblivious.

"Boss? Hey- Boss!"

He grabbed Iori by the shoulders and shook him until he woke up. He knew Iori would be angry, but _hell,_ even he would understand being woken up in this situation. It wasn't often that you had an assassin after you, right?

" _What the_ … What the fuck Howard! Goddammit fuck!... _Ow, what?-_ "

Iori sat up and bumped into the bullet levitating next to his face. He snatched it out of the air and looked about wildly.

"Who put this here? Is this a prank Howar-"

He looked up and upon seeing the floating man - who had turned white in fear - switched to Japanese. He stood up and took on a dememor that made him look right at home in one of those old style Yakuza movies. He clambered over Rock and began jabbing at the floating man. He would have looked more intimidating if he wasn't still wearing his eyemask on his forehead, but alas - Iori never failed to draw the attention of a confused crowd.

 _Ehhh? You little shit, you're the one who turned on us, huh?! What the hell are you doing, floating up there? Did you come here to get killed by me? Who sent you! Who do you work for?!_ "

Behind them, Athena rolled her eyes and plastered the man to the ceiling, out of Iori's reach, and let the remaining levitating articles clatter to the floor. She got comfortable in her seat and turned her attention back to the screen in front of her. Iori remained in the centre aisle yelling at the man stuck to the ceiling.

" _Huh? Not gonna talk?! You better be glad I'm not supposed to light up in airplanes, otherwise I'd roast you from the toes up! Tell me who you work for or the moment we touch down, your life will be hell!"_

Rock blinked, placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart, and sat back down. He calmed his breathing and glanced at the man standing beside him. Iori had his hands on his hips and didn't seem scared at all. He was behaving as if having guns fired at him was just business as usual. Rock was pretty rattled about it, and he wasn't even the one the bullet was intended for. He even seemed to know the Yakuza guy… could it be-

 _So now he's a mafia member serial killer... great._

* * *

Poor pebbles

So, normally uber hard to kill the boi, but he just drugs himself like hell on airplanes. Pretty good opportunity.

Good thing Athena was there, or Yag would be actually freaking dead haha. Even Instinct was high on meds.


	24. 點心

_Gourmet_

* * *

"Uh, Boss... are you okay?"

Iori flinched and dropped his spoon into his ninth cup of thai tea. It flipped over the edge of the delicate porcelain lip, and splattered the white tablecloth with stains. He cursed at it, but that didn't seem to help. Across the table, Rock Howard was giving him that ' _You're so weird'_ stare he'd been wearing for the past month and a half.

"I'm Fine."

He made sure his voice held that note of finality, but was careful not to raise it by any degree. Today, Iori Yagami didn't want any conflict. He didn't want to argue. He didn't want to explain. He didn't want to scare Howard off, or make him angry and have to fight him again. He wasn't even in the mood to go drinking or have a smoke. He was so _fucking_ tired that he wanted to die.

"... you look… uh…"

"Yeah, I look like shit. It's fine."

"okay..."

Rock stopped inquiring for the time being, but Iori could tell he wouldn't be able to contain his curiosity long. He had that distinct puppy-ish look that meant he was itching to ask questions. Iori stared at him tiredly before sighing and gulping down his highly caffineated drink. He put it back on the saucer with a clack and motioned the waiter over. The two of them were sitting in a fancy dim sum restaurant facing the harbour. All around, patrons were taking afternoon tea. It was probably three pm the day after they landed in Hong Kong, and Iori had entirely lost his appetite. Rock hadn't, and was in the process of mis-ordering a great manner of strange foods.

"Hey boss, what does this say? Number 34?"

The teenager picked up a menu and pointed at something disgusting looking. Japanese used a great number of characters borrowed from their southern neighbors, so Iori waited until he stopped seeing double and translated.

"Sea Cucumber."

"... oh."

"Eat it and I'll pay you twenty bucks."

"No way!"

They sat in silence for a moment longer. Rock continued to browse the menu and occasionally poked at the chicken feet he had ordered. He was making a fool out of himself with his chopsticks, and if Iori's attention hadn't been entirely consumed with staying awake, he might have taught his junior how to use them. Alas, he was essentially disabled by fatigue. It was a good thing Athena had decided to take over concert setup this round because he would have been entirely ineffective. Besides, she could teleport. It was easier for her to do this kind of thing anyways.

"Boss, what about this?"

"Silkworm."

Ever since he had nearly gotten killed on the airplane, he hadn't slept a wink. Normally he didn't need to worry about assassins. Even when he was asleep, his sixth sense was still active, and never failed to wake him up in the event someone came after him. But when he drugged himself into unconsciousness - which he normally needed to do for a couple of weeks after running missions with Heidern - he was as helpless as anyone else, as clearly illustrated on the airplane.

 _Dammit Kagura…_

So naturally, he was too nervous to sleep. He had spent two hours terrifying his would-be assassin in the police station and discovered the Hong Kong Triads were after him. Over the past several decades, ' _Yagami'_ had become synonymous with ' _Yakuza'._ Not only did they control Japan, but had also spread to many of Asia's major cities. Their market share in Hong Kong was growing, so it was no surprise the Triads wanted him -the clan figurehead- out of the picture. They had chosen an ex-Yakuza who more or less knew his habits to carry out the murder, and to hide their connection.

"Boss-"

Rock pointed to another menu item. Iori stared blankly at it.

"Sheep dick."

"...is… that a joke?"

"Order it and see."

Rock made a face then went back to staring at the menu. In a few minutes, the waiter would come over and Rock would get confused with the chinese characters. He'd be too bashful to ask Iori for translations again, and just randomly choose numbered items on the menu. When the dishes came, he'd probably try half of them and just stare at the rest.

 _Wonder if he's gonna order the sheep dick..._

Iori yawned and turned his gaze out the window. The sun was brilliant as it reflected off the harbour water. All manner of boats were passing back and forth from the port to the bay, and pedestrians and tourists walked along the pathways and across the bridges. It was an idyllic scene and Iori watched it without really watching it. He had crumpled in his chair. His brain was in 'battery saving mode' and turned off cognitive function whenever it got the opportunity. Besides, thinking too hard in this situation would just get him stressed out. He already was running on empty, so additional stress wasn't welcome.

 _I wish they would all just come after me now… then I could take care of it, and get some shut-eye…_

So far, nobody else had come after him. Perhaps he was being followed, but it was impossible to tell in the heavily crowded city. Perhaps they were just waiting for him to let his guard down? The minute he decided ' _fuck it I need a nap'_ he'd get shot? It was pretty likely.

Iori grimaced, then flinched as a waiter brought him a new thai tea and eight dishes at Rock Howard's behest. He watched as his bandmate - one chopstick in each hand - attacked the spare ribs and pork-crab buns. The third dish, and likely the most expensive considering how it was decorated, was clearly _something's_ reproductive organs. Rock was doing his best not to look at it, so Iori was going to try and make him eat it.

"Howard, you ordered the sheep dick?"

"...th-they got the order wrong! I ordered the one above it."

"Oh?" Iori picked up a menu and made something up. "Number 56 is also sheep dick, but cooked in white wine. It's also hella expensive. You better eat it."

Rock stuttered and started going pale. He started making ' _excusing'_ hand motions and Iori allowed himself a brief chuckle. It had been so peaceful for the past day and a half, maybe he was just stressing himself out thinking about mafia all day. Honestly, he was sitting in a crowded restaurant. If some gangsters came waltzing in, Rock would wake him up… right? _No… I can't just pop pills here. Besides, I'll probably sleep an entire day._

So far, nothing had happened. Surely if the Triads wanted to do something, they'd have done it already… right? No way they were waiting for him to get worn down. How would th-

 _*THUD*_

Someone impacted into the window next to Iori's seat. A rather slender figure, whose identity was masked by a hood and goggles, had evidently slipped off their ledge and hung by their wires. The person looked like a classic spy-assassin and looked was behaving just as surprised as he felt. Iori turned his head, saw a figure clad in military uniform and suspended on the outside of the building, hurled himself out of his chair and ran like a bat out of hell.

Behind him, the suspended figure made embarrassed hand motions and waved at his retreating back.

Rock just looked relieved he didn't need to eat the sheep dick.

* * *

 _tbh, I've never seen sheep dick served in a dim sum resturant, but I did see them deep fried and served on the street. However Silkworm and Sea cucumber is definately a thing. I've never eaten them, but I see them on menus._

 _Lmao Yag not to cool with stalkers eh?_


	25. Stealth Tactics

_David Tai helping me write! hahaha the Collab is back!_

* * *

Whip told her she was crazy when Leona had conceived of, and insisted on, climbing the side of the building to observe the ' _harbour landscape'._ Leaving her junior coworker on ground level, Leona suited and wired up, shimmied up the building, and in an attempt to get a better look at the man who happened to be staring out of the window beneath her, fell off her ledge and scared herself witless.

Of course, she'd also scared Iori witless, too. Sadly, Leona couldn't do anything but gesture until she'd gotten off the harness.

A firm kick dislodged the window hinge (it was a miracle nothing broke), and in a split second she had lowered herself into the open window.

She made sure to pull off her goggles before climbing into the restaurant (didn't want Iori's bandmate to get spooked as well) and was about to engage in enough small talk to demonstrate she wasn't malicious when she glanced at the dishes at the table. Right in front of her, decorated in flowers and resting on a bed of rice was… what was _very clearly_ a penis.

The words died in her throat and she found herself unable to say the little _'im not a crazy person'_ speech she had composed in her head. All that came out was.

"Oh. Nice… lunch..."

She looked blankly at the blonde bandmate. The blond bandmate turned red and returned her gaze with an equally blank expression. Leona decided to banish the incident from her memory and strode out of the restaurant in pursuit of her favorite musician.

* * *

Rock shook his head as he watched Leona go after Iori.

 _Just great. What else could possibly happen?_

No sooner had he said that than a short-haired young woman came darting in, doing a quick surveillance. Her intense searching gaze fell upon Rock, and her eyes lit up, which made her look younger and...

 _Oh shit… is that…_

Seirah approached, holding her hands up. "Uh hi, I'm just… looking for my friend. You seen her? Blue hair…"

"Leona?" Rock asked.

Seirah nodded.

Rock wordlessly pointed out the door. Seirah started to turn towards the door, and then glanced back. "Um… I'm sorry! It's just, uh, I really liked the hat, and uh, I liked your playing. Do you mind if, uh, I could get an autograph again?"

"Uh, sure," Rock said, trying to get this… girl out of the door before she pulled a gun.

"Great! Uh… how about this napkin? Or my shirt?"

"The napkin's fine."

"Great. Could you make it out to Seirah? That's S.E.I..."

"Sure. Uh, how do you know Leona, anyway?"

"We're IKARI."

"Hm…? You're Ikari…?" Rock squinted, looking up, before his eyes widened. "No way! You're… WHIP?"

"Yep!" Seirah beamed.

"But… but you look so… young! Are you a _soldier?!_ "

"I -am- young! I'm the youngest IKARI soldier there is. Heh, how old do you think I am?"

She was smiling excitedly and looked like a typical teenager, perhaps a couple of years younger than Rock was. There was _no way_ this person was that deadly serious woman who sometimes gave press conferences on TV.

"It's not that, it's just I didn't expect you to act so childi-"

He clapped a hand over his mouth before he could fully voice his thoughts. He side eyed the girl standing before him, and prayed she hadn't heard what he let slip. She had.

Seirah arched an eyebrow, and placed her hands on her hips. In an instant, her air went chilly and cruel. Every hint of excited youthfulness had fled from her expressions. When she spoke, there was no doubt in Rock's head that this woman was indeed IKARI's Whip.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds to correct your statement."

"Um… I-I just mean, that… I didn't expect… that you… "

Perhaps he looked appropriately spooked, or maybe she was in a rush, but Seirah… 'Whip' decided to let him off the hook and waved him into silence. Rock gladly obliged.

"Forget it. Just sign… what -is- that?" That cold gaze had shifted to the dish near Rock's elbow.

Rock turned red. "Uh…"

Whip tapped a finger to her lips and nodded knowingly. In possibly the most condescending voice possible, she uttered a disdainful, " _I see."_ and suddenly Rock wished his boss hadn't hightailed.

"It's… not like that… look, here…" Rock scrambled for a pen, and then scribbled an autograph.

Handling the autographed napkin as though she'd just been handed snot, Whip patted Rock on the head patronizingly. "It's all right. I'm going to assume you have no idea what you ordered. You're much too young to be impotent."

Then she turned on her heel and strode out of the restaurant. Rock watched her leave, and wished with all his heart to sink through the floor and drown in the harbour.

* * *

When dealing with Iori Yagami, Leona had learned to expect the unexpected. There was no way to make sense of his erratic and unreasonable behavior, and the only way to deal with it was just raise your eyebrows and go with the flow. At the very least, it was entertaining - if not exhausting. There was hardly a dull moment alongside the red-haired man.

Well, it wasn't as if Leona's life was dull by any measure. But the 'excitement' of her position was closer to 'high-stress panic' than anything traditionally fun or exciting. Work was work, and play was play - but things started getting a bit mixed up when began Iori turning up whenever IKARI got themselves in a pinch, and angrily blew everything to bits.

Leona was shocked when Clark told her he'd been rescued out of a POW camp by her rock idol crush. At that time, she didn't know Iori well and was too nervous to do anything but admire from afar. Yet, when he started showing up on more and more IKARI operations, (he was something of their panic button) the troops began regarding the nutty musician as one of their own.

Unfortunately, Leona was mostly consigned to stealth and solo covert, and rarely spent time with the main force. That also meant she rarely got a chance to see Iori, much less talk to him since he hardly stayed on base. After the SouthTown incident, he stopped coming to base altogether and got helicoptered to and from the battlefield.

 _Hmm… Southtown… that wasn't fun._

Leona sighed and rubbed her throat. There was a narrow scar directly over her windpipe courtesy of Kyo Kusanagi and Kagura Medical group. Although Iori also played a role in that, the Commander had decided he was still necessary to IKARI.

Of course, Heidern was no careless man. The Commander had required Iori to undergo a psychological screening and diagnosis before being allowed to continue to participate as a contractor alongside his ranks. It was obvious that he had split personalities - two due to the blood curse - but at least one of his personalities was actually schizophrenic. He was like a museum display of mental issues and the psychologist offered to drug him into catatonia. Naturally, his counteroffer was to deep fry her.

Leona sighed and shouldered her way through the thronging crowd. They were smack dab in the middle of Kowloon, and the place was packed to the brim with tourists and locals. It was difficult getting anywhere quickly, and even more difficult tracking someone. Alas, Leona was an expert in these matters so it wouldn't prove an issue for her.

As to _why_ she was following Iori?

… well, her brain hadn't yet gotten to that point. She was running on autopilot. She had been observing him, and now he was on the move, so obviously she needed to follow. Leona was a soldier. She carried out orders, she finished the mission, and she didn't ask ' _why?'_.

Well, it just happened that she had given herself this mission, and the fact she would need to explain her presence only struck her as she found Iori on a relatively empty mall balcony. He was peeking over the edge, and yakking into his phone whilst carefully watching the crowd below.

"It's because of that! Yeah!... The triads, I'm positive I-... You _don't_ have any connections with them?!"

He was obviously stressed out and talking rapidly in Japanese to someone over the phone. Leona stood on the other side of the glass door, hesitant to open it before she had formulated an appropriate reason to be stalking him. The excuse _'I was just passing by'_ wouldn't work, since she was dressed in tactical gear and drawing looks from shoppers and tourists. Iori was still obvious to her presence and continued shouting at his cellular device.

"Well then how the hell am I supposed to stay here a week!... No, it's been like this for two days already! And no offence, but your security detail is garbage, that's why I needed to go to Africa in the first place, Kagura!"

 _Security detail? He needs a-… uh oh!_

Iori was starting to look around, and she couldn't afford to be detected. Of course, stealth was another one of her specialties, so in a moment Leona Heidern disappeared.

* * *

 _BLUE HERE._

Iori paused mid-rant. "What? What do you mean blue? Yeah, the sky is-… no, not you, Kagura."

He had propped his elbows on the concrete balcony overlooking the traffic below. The heat and humidity was oppressive, but that was the least of his worries. Chizuru's voice over the phone was cold as ice, and always managed to bring him down from wherever excited state of mind he was in. He had run here without even thinking, driven by fear and fatigue and just plain automation. Now that his brain had turned back on, he was ready to… figure out where the hell he was, and what Riot was muttering about.

 _BLUE HERE._

"Alright, I've gotta take care of this. Riot's going off again… agh, I'm so tired I think I'm gonna drop… no! I wasn't messing with them! I was in a restaurant tryna stuff cock down Rock's throat, and-"

...

"What? No, not my cock… don't worry about it. Anyway, I'll get back to you after I deal with -this- person that just popped up on my radar."

-Click.-

Iori pocketed his cellphone and looked around him, somehow neglecting to notice the suspicious boot poking out from behind the corner.

 _Ok Riot, whaddya want, you fucking autistic brat?_

 _BLUE._

 _Heidern? What the fuck is she here for?_

 _FUCK_

… _Is that a suggestion, or are you just repeating what I say?_

 _REPEAT._

Iori rolled his eyes and replied aloud. He hated when Riot got sassy with him.

"Fine, where is she."

 _BEHIND. DOOR._

Iori growled an acknowledgment. He turned and strode through the automatic glass doors into the mall. As he stepped in, the powerful air conditioning smacked him in the face and he grimaced at the sudden temperature drop. The insides of modern HongKong malls looked like spaceships. It was all white tile, LED and glass. Iori turned the corner and came face to face with a broom closet. He grabbed the handle and wrenched open the door suddenly enough to catch Leona by surprise. She startled, and janitorial equipment clattered about behind her.

"Heidern!"

As Iori shouted her name, the blue haired woman suddenly stood straight. It looked like she was about to salute, but she caught herself halfway, and ended up putting both arms to her side - obviously not knowing what to do with them. She raised her eyes shyly to meet his, but couldn't seem to hold his gaze. Iori was too tired to notice most of these things. He leaned against the doorframe and glared as best he could, but he probably just looked tired.

'"What ya want?"

Leona took a moment to loosen her tongue.

"I-I'm here to guard your body… I mean, to be your bodyguard."

Leona fumbled through her words and fidgeted. She looked dreadfully nervous and Iori didn't blame her. Iori had injured her before, and badly. There was that time where Riot set her on fire. Then the time _he_ held her hostage. Then the time where Kyo crushed her throat - well he was part of that… _that asshole commander sent her?! Damn… that's cruel._

"Did Kagura send you? Or your _Padre._ "

Leona blinked. The confusion on her face was lost on him.

"Okay, whatever. Are you geared to deal with assassins?"

"Yes si-... Yes."

"Alright, good. Daytime you can do whatever you want, but you need to stick close at night. Right now I'm gonna head to the hotel, so grab whatever luggage you need and watch my back. I need to get some shut eye, and I need you to make sure nobody tries to kill me, alright?"

Leona nodded at him, so he turned on his heel and began walking whilst divulging whatever pertinent information he felt was necessary. He heard her footsteps follow.

"There was an assassin after me just now. Bastard bodyslammed the window right next to me and I almost died right there from a heart attack. After you move in, keep an eye out for him. He was a small dude wearing goggles and a hood. Also the triads want me dead. I almost got killed on the airplane from Sydney. He was actually a traitor to the organization that got recruited by these Chinese fuckers. Almost pulled it off too, but Athena saved my ass. Guess I have to treat her to dinner or something. Oh! And..."

* * *

 _Yag never shuts up._

 _Broom Closet = high level stealth tactics. yeet_

 _Adventures of Rock Howard and his cooked sheep schlong smh_


	26. I'll Skin you Dead

_David helped with this one. Enter IKARI lmao_

* * *

"Yes, a KP helicopter picked him up a bit ago. He was eager to leave."

*...*

"Don't worry about it. I've worked with Yagami for many years, and despite his… _quirks,_ he's proved rather reliable. Now, do you have any results concerning Leona?"

*...*

"Keep looking, don't leave a single rock unturned. If you found her comms equipment there, then it is very possible she was ambushed and captured by enemy forces."

Heidern was nervous. Leona had not reported in for duty after the operation. Her signal had disappeared somewhere near the far edge of the airfield, and for the past two days - she was nowhere to be found.

True, Leona sometimes found it necessary to remove her tracking equipment, especially against such technologically advanced enemies as NESTS. Occasionally they were able to decrypt the comms signals and disrupt the IKARI battle plans. Also, if she decided to infiltrate enemy lines, she often went radio silent - but never without warning.

However, there was never a case where Leona had failed to appear for summons after the skirmish. She was a perfect soldier, she was _very_ strong, she was _very_ serious, she was an expert in stealth, and she followed protocol like it was her religion. The only reason she wasn't reporting for roll-call was, 1: she was injured, 2: she had been captured, 3: she had defected.

The third option hadn't even crossed the Commander's mind until the Search and Rescue team found her communications and tracking hardware buried, in a plastic bag, with the batteries removed. If they had been smashed to bits - perhaps she was ambushed. If they were found in enemy territory, or even in no-man's land, then perhaps she had been captured beneath their noses… but the bag was found at the far end of the IKARI airfield, safely within the confines of their camp. Leona had buried it herself.

Then, she had run? Why? To join the enemy? _Impossible…_

But then again, If Leona had been on her patrol, none of this would have happened. She was the leader of Patrol 06, and had been tasked with scouting the northeastern portion of the mountainous area. Evidently, she had disappeared sometime while on patrol, as the other members claimed she had departed alongside them. Her absence caused several fatal blunders which turned -what was intended to be a swift and brutal execution, into a desperate battle on two fronts.

If Commander Heidern hadn't raised his daughter, he would have condemned her in a heartbeat. All the circumstantial evidence pointed toward a betrayal, and the soldiers knew it. They also knew he - as her father - was no longer acting completely rationally. If he had been, he would have immediately declared her an enemy and either hunted her down, or left her to die - as was custom for IKARI defectors.

But… the day was still young. It was 2 am in the morning, and Heidern wasn't going to give up on his best so easily. He would continue to search.

* * *

Colonel Clark Still stood straight up in his seat when the call came in from Commander Heidern.

Seated in the rec room with the men, as well as Ralf, Clark glanced at his cell phone. It was -ten pm- and he was off duty. And Heidern was well aware of that, which meant something really urgent must have happened. Putting down his cards briefly, Clark answered, eyeing his hand. He was staring down a full house, and he -damned- wasn't willing to let go of this hand when he was -about- to finally win a good-sized pot.

"Ey, gonna answer?" Ralf pointed at the phone with his chin.

Clark made a face and stared at the phone like it was some rotting animal.

The entirety of IKARI had been searching for Leona since the morning under the commander's orders. They had scoured - what felt like - the entire country with drones, satellite etc… with no trace of Leona. To most of the forces, this entire situation was both surprising and depressing. Nobody expected Leona to cut and run, and the troops certainly weren't happy spending man-hours searching for who they were convinced was a traitor. Yet out of respect for the commander, IKARI persisted with minimal grumbling.

But since the beginning of this whole operation, Ralf had been acting suspiciously. When the battle started, he looked so terribly guilty that Clark caught right on to him. Ralf had done something in relation to Leona, and after extensive prodding, he finally spilled the beans. The truth was uninteresting and stupid.

Leona was convinced nothing was going to happen on her patrol. Iori Yagami happened to be playing a concert in Hong Kong thad day. She buried her comms and convinced Ralf to let her borrow a plane and fly to Asia so she could drool over her musician crush. Apparently Whip had tagged alongside her, but unlike Whip, Leona hadn't filed for leave.

Ralf had been hoping Leona would return before the commander tried to grill him for information. The concert was only supposed to last a few hours, and she should have been back ages ago. Ralf wanted to avoid Heidern's wrath at all costs, and thus refrained from divulging the crucial information that would clear up this entire funk.

Taking a deep breath, Clark answered. "This is Colonel Still."

The commander's voice was tired and shot through with stress. His voice was hardly recognizable.

" _Any trace of Leona?"_

"No sir, nothing since I've gone off duty."

" _... I see, if you find anything report to me immediately. "_

"Roger that."

Clark heard Ralf release a sigh of relief. He'd gotten tense as a drawstring every time the commander's voice came over the comms. Evidently, the Commander heard him.

" _Ah - and, get Major Ralf on the phone. Someone mentioned to me that one of our birds was missing. It might be connected to this incident and I need his opinion."_

Clark grimaced and mouthed ' _good luck buddy_ ', before passing the phone to his opponent. The Argentenian looked appropriately terrified. He slowly raised the phone to his ear and gulped. The IKARI commander had an uncanny sense for lies. It was nearly impossible

"H-hi Commander, Ralf here."

" _Major. Why are we missing Chinook 4? Who took it and where, and why is the tracker in HongKong Airport?"_

"Uh… I don't have any idea wha-"

" _I don't want any bullshit today, Major. I know you're up to something, and I want to know what it is right now. Don't say you don't know. Just tell me straight."_

"..."

" _..."_

"O-okay Commander… just… just promise you won't skin me alive."

* * *

 _Leo's not back yet cuz she's watching Yag sleep *creeps*_


	27. Savage Garden

_Rock learning to be mean from big bad boss._

 _lmao_

 _And he's being pissy too. aww poor duckling._

* * *

" _Find her! Heidern out._ "

The air rang with the echo of those forceful words. Even the occupants of the hotel lobby had fallen silent. Of course, they didn't know what was going on, but everyone knew the feeling of getting scolded by your superior, and they knew Seirah was going through _just_ that.

'Yes sir...'

Seirah sighed. The young girl was sitting on one of the lobby couches and looking sadly at her radio-phone. Despite their name 'IKARI - Anger', Commander Heidern wasn't angry often. He tended to be stern and curt, giving off an impression of unfriendliness, yet he controlled himself well and rarely lost his temper.

 _Ugh, what a mess… why didn't you just file for leave, Leona?!_

And Leona had managed just that - and furthermore had been MIA for the past couple of hours. After Seirah lost her companion to the streets of Kowloon, she had been wandering around the city looking for the flash of blue hair and asking to see CCTV reels from the nearby stores. Thus far, she had no luck. Leona was chasing Iori, and Iori would likely end up in _this_ hotel sometime between now and nightfall… so here she was, jumping whenever someone walked through the sliding glass doors and hoping to catch a glimpse of either red or blue hair… or

 _Blonde? Oh, it's Rock Howard! Good enough._

* * *

Rock Howard was in a downright awful mood.

He wasn't even sure who or what had made him upset, and he couldn't really pin down exactly what was bothering him. All he knew was too pissed to do anything, but too restless to do nothing. The heat and humidity of Hong Kong was similar to that of SouthTown, so it shouldn't have bothered him too much, yet it was driving him nuts.

 _Dammit, everything is shit…_

A couple of hours ago, after he finished eating (poking at) the various things he ordered from the dim sum restaurant, Rock paid the bill and sulked the entire way back to the hotel. He had been in a fairly good mood during lunch. He probably looked like an idiot using chopsticks, but the food was palatable and Iori was being tolerable. Besides, he was looking forward to the next concert. He already had one fan - his own fan too, not just somebody who liked him because he was riding his bosses coattails - but after that embarrassing experience with her and the sheep delicacy... he wanted to steer clear of that woman at all costs-

 _Is that… Oh goddamn_

The air conditioning blasted a wall of cold, dry air at him as he crossed the threshold of the automatic glass doors. As he passed into the building, he caught sight of a familiar, and _very_ unwelcome, face. He adopted a brisk pace, put his head down, and made a beeline for the elevators - hoping to God that IKARI girl didn't try and intercept him. She was possibly the last person he wanted to talk to at this moment.

 _Don't talk to me... please!_

Moreover, he had seen himself snap before. He didn't want to hurt anyone, and he didn't want to get shot either. Everything would be better if he got to his room without being bothered. Maybe he'd spend a couple of hours watching crime dramas, or call his dad, order some Jambalaya… _something like that._

"You! Rock Howard! Hey"

 _Shit._

There she was, his first fan - looking as stern and intimidating as a sixteen year old girl could. Despite her age and stature, she carried an air of authority, likely due to her extensive military experience. In his normal state of mind, Rock might have been scared into submission… but today he _just wasn't in the mood to get stepped on._

He didn't even slow his pace when he turned his head to watch Whip approach. Words tumbled around his brain, and none of them were gentlemanly. He narrowed his eyes and curled his lip, mimicking the expression his boss wore almost constantly. The more hostile he looked the better.

Whip looked a bit confused he hadn't stopped for her and broke into a jog to catch up with him. Who did this chick think she was? Well - obviously she thought she was hot shit, that wasn't even in question. Rock Howard already had enough difficult people in his life, and he _didn't_ need to be patronized by some high-schooler.

"Leave me alone."

"Wait! I need information on Leona and Iori Yagami. Tell me everything y-"

"I've got nothing to tell you. Leave."

That stunned her. Rock noted her look of shock and dismay with no small satisfaction. Did he have a sadistic streak? _Nah._ She had pulled a gun on Shermie a couple of days ago. She was the crazy person. Iori was paying him to put up with his insanity. Why the hell did he have to tolerate Whip when he derived exactly zero benefit from associating with her?

 _Besides. Iori ignores his fans, and his career is okay…_

Rock's sneakers squeaked to a stop on the marble floor. He crossed his arms and stared straight forward at the burnished elevator doors, watching Whip in the bronzed reflection. He was 3/4 of a head taller than her, and she stood motionless beside him, wearing a grim expression. She opened her mouth, saw his reaction ( He snarled in a very boss-esque way) and closed it again. She was beginning to look terribly troubled, but Rock didn't care.

 _Good. Don't talk to me… also, don't you dare follow me up or I'll punch you._

Why didn't Rock Howard care? Well, he wasn't exactly sure. He was normally quite compassionate - but something nasty was running like electricity through his head. There was a hissing in his blood that caused him to drop his normally soft and gentle personality, and absolutely lose his shit.

 _And when Rock Howard loses his shit..._

"Mr. Howard, I know I'm bothering you, but could you please listen for a moment? I'm in a desperate situation."

Her voice had changed. She was no longer some crazy military lady, and was now a lost sixteen year old… _is she just being manipulative?_

"..."

He didn't honor his unwanted companion with an answer. The elevator arrived with a _*ding*_ and Rock stepped in. He jammed '12' with his thumb. After a moment of hesitation, Whip stepped into the elevator beside him and seemed to be thinking very hard. If she hadn't suddenly changed her language and tone, Rock might have gone nuts and punched her. His blood was _just_ reigned in. He knew she was just trying to get something from him, but despite everything, was beginning to feel a bit sympathetic toward her case.

The elevator began to lift.

"My Boss is really mad at me, and I need to find that blue haired lady from the restaurant. I know she was following Iori, and was wondering if you could tell me where he is."

"..."

Rock had set his heart on not talking. If Whip thought she was high and mighty enough to pet him like a dog and criticize his lunch, then she could take care of her own problems. From the look on her face, it seemed like she knew exactly why he was unhappy with her.

"... Mr. Howard, I'd really appreci-"

"Why is IKARI following Boss around, anyways?"

That had come out with more aggression than intended, but Rock wasn't apologetic. Besides, IKARI was like the CIA, right? They did all sorts of high level military stuff. Iori was really weird and a really good fighter, but that hardly merited such close surveillance… right? After all, Terry was pretty high up in rankings and he'd never heard a word from IKARI.

 _Are they investigating him? Something to do with that random tooth he gave me after the Pharma company dropped him off? They aren't gonna haul him off… right? What about my career?!_

"Why? uh,"

Whip was choosing her words carefully.

"Well, Leona is just a fan. I'm her friend."

Rock narrowed his eyes.

"That's all? That's why you guys were hanging off the building in climbing gear, huh? Don't insult me. Does Boss know you guys? I should probably let him know IKARI is spying on him, don't you think?"

Whip gritted her teeth. Her voice was growing stern.

"That's irrelevant. I just need general information to find my partner. This has nothing to do with Yagami."

"I'm not a charity, I'm not telling you stuff for free. Give some; take some. Didn't you say you were desperate?"

She huffed something to herself and they stood in silence a moment longer before she responded. Looks like she really _was_ in a bind.

"Firstly, Leona actually is a fan. That's the only reason we're here. Second, Yagami is one of our external operatives. If you tell him we're here, he won't be surprised. Now - you talk."

 _Boss is… an external operative? What doe-_

"Hello?! Tell me where Iori is!"

Rock blinked back to reality to find Whip glaring at him. She had planted her hands on her hips, and her sass was back. She tapped her foot, waiting expectantly for an answer. The elevator was nearing its destination. The screen read '9th floor'.

"Ah, about that... I… actually haven't seen him since the restaurant."

Silence.

"What!"

"Leona scared him when she hit the window, and he took off. I don't know where he ran, but he will probably be back here tonight. You know, since he lives here."

"I-I already knew that! Why do you think I'm here!"

Rock sighed.

"I _did_ say I had nothing to tell you."

"Ugh."

She groaned and sighed heavily. The elevator reached the designated floor and rang out with a *ding*. The doors slid open and Rock stepped out, leaving Whip behind in the elevator. She seemed to be debating with herself whether to follow him or not. Was Iori back in the hotel? _Maybe. He looked really tired during lunch…_

Rock turned back to look at Whip, who was dialing on her phone as quickly as she could. He grimaced. Honestly, Rock didn't want to deal with her any longer, but the feeling of ' _Your boss being mad at you'_ was close to his heart. Besides, he owed her some info after the bombshell she so casually dropped. _What in the blue hell is Iori doing in his spare time?… Mafia Leader, Serial Killer and IKARI Operative? Ridiculous._

"Hey."

Whip looked up, annoyed.

"Iori is room 1279. If he's not there now, then he will be tonight. That's all I got. I'll also let you know if he calls me, alright?"

"...Fine. Thanks."

"Lemme get your cell."

"What?"

"I'll text you. But delete the number once this is over, okay?"

* * *

 _Wanted to give Duckling more backbone._

 _Finally things are moving haha. Let's see what sort of skeletons Rock finds in Bossman's closet_


	28. Worst Boyfriend

_Leona's unexciting date_

 _Yag worst Boyfren_

* * *

Bodyguarding her rockstar crush was much less romantic than Leona had envisioned.

It was 4:00 in the afternoon, and she was sitting on the suite couch in the dark hotel room looking at the equipment she had laid out on the coffee table. Outside, the sun blazed down, but the heavy curtains and tightly locked door muted the sights and sounds of the bustling city. The thermostat had been turned up until it was uncomfortably hot, and the only sound in the room was the dull noise of air blowing through the vents and soft breathing from the bed.

Leona polished her knife for the umpteenth time and glanced over to the unmoving lump on the other side of the room. About an hour ago, she had giddily followed Iori to his hotel room, not sure what she was expecting - but convinced it was going to be exciting.

It wasn't.

When they reached the hotel, Iori grabbed her an extra key from the front desk. They rode the elevator to the twelfth floor and kicked their way into the room. Iori made a beeline for his bed, drank something pungent out of a medicine bottle, and fell asleep. He hadn't so much as twitched for the past two hours.

… _I wonder where Whip is. Haah._

The experience was proving so profoundly boring that Leona almost wished an assassin would show up - just so she had something to do. She sighed and rolled her shoulders. An hour in, she had pulled down the top of her jumpsuit and tied the sleeves about her waist. She wasn't too keen on drowning in her own sweat, and Iori was too asleep to care what she was wearing. She had spent some time doing push-ups. Spent some time cleaning her firearms. Watched some commercials on TV. Managed her blog. Just did her best to stay awake and alert.

 _*Thump… thump...thud*_

She frowned and rolled her knife in her hand as her mind wandered. IKARI might have noticed her absence by now. She told Ralf she would be back at the Africa compound a couple of hours ago, and he might be taking some heat right about now… but she had just been tasked to bodyguard someone - and she couldn't leave. At least not before Iori woke up to defend himself against whatever unsavory characters who were after his life.

 _*(Whispering)… kl-klack. (Whispering)*_

… Maybe he'd be alright by himself for a little. After all, nothing had happened for the past two hours, and chances were the 'nothing' was going to continue into the evening. She just wanted to pop out to the hallway and give Ralf a call on the payphone - see how IKARI was doing, see if anyone had discovered her disappearance, and see who she needed to talk to to keep this unapproved ' _operation'_ hush-hush from the commander.

 _The Commander wouldn't be happy… enough, I'd better get in contact._

She sighed and stood, quickly untying the jumpsuit sleeves from about her waist and slipping them on. She didn't particularly mind wandering around in a sports bra - she had fought a tournament like that once - but then again, she was in public right now, and thought it best not to draw attention.

 _Wait… stealth jumpsuits are also pretty conspicuous… maybe I should borrow something from Yagami… nah. I'll be fast._

Leona stretched and walked to the front door. She glanced quickly over her shoulder to make sure everything was in order before she left. She knew _anything_ could happen at anytime, but decisions were always a balance between risk and reward. The bed was close to the heavily curtained outer window, a good distance from the room's only entrance. Iori was still there - and was still breathing. Thus far, nothing had been suspicious, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. A fifteen minute respite would be harmless. She reached out to twist the doorknob and-

 _(Whispering)... thunk… thud… CRACK_

"..."

A chill went down her spine, and all her senses went razor sharp. Every muscle in her body went tense as a wire. She whirled around and snatched her knife from coffee table just in time to watch a masked assailant smash feet first through the window and practically land on top of their unconscious target.

 _"Ah Shi-"_

* * *

Rock yawned and reached out to knock on Iori's door.

He had woken up about fifteen minutes ago, and had been dragged out by the Whip girl to go bother his boss. Apparently she had been hanging around the hallways and lobby for the past four and a half hours looking for Leona and Iori with no luck whatsoever. It was now approaching 6 in the evening, and Whip had requested him break into Iori's hotel room.

"Boss! Are you there? It's Rock."

…

No sound.

Whip cast him with an accusatory stare. He shrugged in response.

"Guess he's still out. We should come back lat-"

"Are you sure this is his room?"

"...Yeah."

"Can you call him?"

He sighed.

"... alright."

Rock obliged. He had calmed down significantly. A long shower, two hours of Detective TV and a nap had done his psyche well. Besides, finding out where his meal ticket had wandered off to was in his best interests as well. He wasn't _worried_ persay - Iori could take care of himself pretty well, and if there was someone he couldn't handle, hell if Rock would be any help - but it was good to know what was going on.

"And ask him if Leona is with him."

Rock just put the phone on speaker.

 _*Brrrr*_

 _*Brrrr*_

(*jingle* … _Lock Howad Band..._ *jingle*… _Lock Howad Band_ … *jingle*)

A Japanese woman's mechanical voice butchered his name between spurts of annoying music. Rock blinked. Iori's phone was always ringing off the hook - but most of his contacts had Japanese names. That meant they didn't sound like dogshit in his boss's ringtone. He had (naturally) never heard himself calling before now, but he was already getting annoyed at the noise.

 _I bet this is why he's always so pissed when he picks up._

Whip frowned in confusion and pressed her ear against the hotel room door. The ringtone was clearly coming from inside, which probably meant Iori was preoccupied with something. He tended to be pretty good about picking up the phone.

"Rock, is that his ringtone?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. He's probably sleeping - we should come back late-"

 _*thud*_

He was cut off mid sentence by the noise of somebody (presumably) rolling off the bed and hitting the ground. Both of them turned to look at the door.

Whip spoke up.

"Well, he's awake now. Maybe he knows where Leona is. Tell him to open the door."

Rock grimaced.

"He's cranky when he wakes up."

"He's always cranky. Come on, I need to find my partner."

Whip's voice went a bit stern, but Rock wasn't in the mood to be mean anymore. He shrugged it off and raised his hand resume knocking on the door.

"Fine, but you owe me a favor."

"Thanks Rock."

She smiled sweetly. Rock rolled his eyes and began rapping at the door.

"Sure. Your welcome… * _Oy, Iori? Are you in there? It's Howard!... Boss?_ *

* * *

 _Yag just sleeps through the entire thing mayne._


	29. ABSOLUTELY ZERO CHILL

_Tad out of order events... hope not confu. I think you can figure out what's happening. I believe in u._

 _Rock's going insane._

 _Rock fights everyone._

 _Rock darling bae. *3*_

 _One like, One Jambalaya for Duckling_

* * *

 _"What the hell is this! What did you do!?"_

 _"Rock, calm down. There has to be an explanation-"_

 _"Your bitch partner just murdered my boss! That bastard was my ticket to the top, and she went off and killed him! Dammit! Damn you!"_

 _"Rock, sto-"_

*Boooom*

The room shook. The bed rocked and Iori was dimly aware of squabbling. While sleeping he had buried himself in his blankets, which were soaked slick. The smell of copper permeated the air and was comfortingly familiar. The room shook, and he tucked his nose beneath the covers and began a slow drift back into unconsciousness.

 _"Wait, Rock. Let's make sure before-"_

 _"That's a knife! Right? And it's your knife! It says IKARI on it! And there's blood everywhere! What the fucking hell do we have to be sure of! You just ruined my career! I'm gonna kill both of you and call the police!"_

The room shook again, and this time someone hit the bed directly. It was a hard impact, and Iori was jostled with more force than was tolerable. Iori was a self-confessed heavy sleeper, but this was enough to get him annoyed. His senses were beginning to come back, but he wasn't particularly ready to wake up yet.

" _Rock! Stop that right now! Hands behind your head! Leona? You okay?"_

" _Oh! So after killing Iori, you're gonna kill me too?! What the fuck is wrong with you! You think I won't go down kicking?! Who the- ack!"_

 _*Thump*_

 _(yelling)_

Alright. That was quite enough. Everyone was yelling. Things were being tossed around. The ground was creaking and shaking like it was about to collapse. And someone's elbow planted itself in his stomach, squeezing his breath right out of him. He went cross eyed for a moment and wheezed, before making a wild grab for the arm which dared use him for leverage.

The shouting got louder. But Iori was louder than everyone.

He took a deep breath and let loose.

"ALL OF YOU SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP."

He hadn't even finished pulling the ... _blood soaked?_ blankets off his face when his voice finished echoing and the place went quiet. By the time he cleared his vision and adjusted to the dim light in the room, three pairs of eyes were staring at him. They looked as confused as he felt.

"The hell you guys doing!?"

Nobody said a word. He took a careful look around.

Whip was standing beside the couch with her gun drawn. She was pointing it in his direction, but quickly holstered it upon catching his gaze. She looked surprised at his interruption - which was utterly asinine. If you crowd into a sleeping man's room and begin screaming and fighting, then of course he's gonna wake up and yell at you.

 _Whatever._

"Boss? Oh my God! Are you alright?! Hey, do you need an ambulance? Where did she get you? How … _(etc...)_ "

Iori looked at his bandmate - who had been thrown at him in the squabble earlier and whose arm was twisted uncomfortably in his grip. He had that nasty, wild look in his eye that meant he was probably in the middle of getting violent. Upon being shouted at, a look of tremendous relief washed over Rock's features and he immediately began babbling at him. Iori shoved him away and ignored him, instead focusing on the woman standing over both of them with her knife drawn.

"Heidern. Put that knife away or I'll gut you with it."

She flinched and obliged. She looked like she wanted to say something - but right now, Iori wasn't quite willing to listen to anyone. He was dripping wet, soaked in blood which was beginning to go sour. There was shattered glass all over his bed - much of it even sticking to his skin. His stomach hurt from where Rock had elbow-dropped him. There was a soreness in his left thigh, as if he'd been stabbed with a needle… _(oh, that was Rock again. Bastard.)_ , and a long cut on his bicep throbbed. It tingled and stung when he touched it, and smelled foul. Some shithead had tried to poison him.

 _Goddammit…_

"Yagami… you're… alive?"

It was Leona. She tended to be quiet, and despite her fearsome battle prowess proved to be quite softspoken. She could kill a man three hundred ways, but stood no chance in a shouting match with an irate Rock Howard.

" _No thanks to you, you crazy woman! How the hell did you fail to assassinate a sleeping person?! Maybe you should have-"_

" _Rock! Have you any idea who you're talking to? Leona is-"_

" _I don't give a single shit, Seirah! Not a single one!"_

Iori couldn't help but admire Rock's zeal before he got tired of the noise and threatened to light everyone on fire. These women weren't slouches. Not by _any_ means. They commanded the fear and respect of the masses. Rock tended to be fairly mild and cautious - never the type to get into useless confrontations - and especially not with people who he considered intimidating.

However, _sometimes_ (Iori hadn't figured out what set his bandmate off) something triggered him. He just went _nuts._ All fear and reservation went out the window, and a person whom one might classify as ' _cowardly'_ became the second living soul who could boast of punching Iori Yagami in the face. This kid had balls. For ' _nasty'_ Rock, laying into the Silent Soldier, Leona Heidern, was less than child's play. Iori bet he'd even yell at _Chizuru_.

 _I wonder what she'd say… hehe… ugh, ok, ok… let's figure out what the fuck is going on…_

He was still half wrapped in his blankets and attempted to extricate himself whilst talking. His mind was still a bit jumbled, so the first thing out of his mouth wasn't, ' _Leona. Why did you think I was dead?'_ but rather-

"Rock, what day is it? Are we on schedule, and did Athena finish the concert prep?"

Rock was facing the IKARI members with his back to Iori. He had taken up a defensive stance and was bouncing aggressively on the balls of his feet - ready to fight. He glanced at his employer briefly before answering in an exasperated voice.

"Boss… we can do that later. This woman just tried to kill you. Can you take things more seriously?"

"What?"

"Leona just tried to kill you!"

The room went silent for a few short moments. Leona started saying something, but Iori didn't feel like honing in and trying to understand what she wanted to communicate. Talking to Rock was easier, since he was closer and louder. Iori felt himself going lightheaded. Maybe it was the poison? Maybe he was just frazzled? He repeated the question

"You're saying _Leona_ tried to kill me?"

"Yeah. Look, she came in through the window, stabbed you - and is waiting for you to bleed out. Isn't it obvious?"

Iori was now suddenly aware of the completely shattered window. The evening breeze was flowing in and stinging the cuts from glass shards puncturing his skin. He wasn't bleeding that much - thankfully - and he quickly glanced over to Rock, to make sure his junior hadn't been cut _(He hadn't)_. It'd be bad if anyone was contaminated with his blood. It might start another unsavory incident.

His mind flicked back to the present.

"No way. Leona didn't do it. Don't be dumb."

Rock turned and snarled at him. He sure was on a roll. Right now, it was Rock Howard verses the world. Iori wasn't gonna have any of it.

"How the fuck do you know?! You were sleeping?!"

"Cuz I'm alive."

"What? How does that prove anything? That means nothi-"

"Just shut up, Howard. Go to your room and go to sleep. Take your stalker with you."

" _What?! How the fuck are you so careless tha-_ "

By this time Iori had finished unwrapping himself from his blankets and swung both feet to the ground. He stood up languidly, then - as quick as a snake - seized his junior by the lapels of his shirt and shoved him up against the nearby wall. That was enough to startle Rock into silence - and maybe shake the ' _nasty'_ out of Rock Howard. Iori hissed.

"You throw one more tantrum and I'll bite your goddamn nose off."

Rock gaped like a fish and blinked at him.

"Now, be a _darling,_ and leave me the fuck alone. Rehearsals. 9:00 tomorrow. Be late and I'll murder your dog. Get out."

* * *

 _Lmao, tmw you already murdered the Dog._

 _Zomb Yag_

 _Leo will tell about what actually happened next chap. Btw in the previous chapter Rock and Whip start knocking at the door 2 hours after (somebody) does smashy on the window. so Leo was in cleanup mode._


	30. Snake Eater

_Happy Veterans day!_

 _News flash, Iori is a jackass._

 _And Leona is the most adorable badass._

 _Yag doesn't deserve her._

* * *

"You alright, Heidern?"

Leona shook her head mutely, not trusting herself to lie with words. The insides of her mouth had gone numb, and it felt like her tongue had swollen up and was stuck to the roof of her mouth. Also, her stomach ached from where Rock Howard had punched her. The whole experience left her feeling weak and dizzy, but not as weak and dizzy as Iori - who was trying to strip the blood soaked sheets off the bed with the hand-eye coordination of a toddler.

"Alright good… Imma go burn this shi- _ACK!_ _goddamn, why am I so fucked up?!_ "

She watched as the red haired man tripped over the coffee table and dropped everything he was carrying on the floor. Earlier - after kicking both Rock Howard and Whip out of the room - Iori's first order of business was to try and get some answers out of her. She acted as if she were too busy tweezing broken glass out of his back and sewing up the cuts she made in his arm to answer. The truth, however, was that her _peculiar_ situation, rendered her nearly mute. She simply couldn't get the words out, and if she tried, she feared sounding like an infant.

Instead of pressing her further, Iori decided to go take a shower.

And he found a woman's chopped up corpse waiting for him in the bathtub.

 _Somehow_ , that in itself was an adequate explanation, and he seemed quite understanding afterwards. Leona didn't understand his psychology - but was too nauseous to really consider it carefully.

 _Well, glad all that is over… phew… I need to sit down somewhere…_

About two hours ago, a petite chinese woman smashed through Iori's bedroom window and nearly stabbed him with a knife. Thankfully, due to Leona's interference (which consisted of nothing less than a blade to the throat and two bullets through the skull) the woman only managed to slash Iori in the arm before expiring.

Of course, the assassin stood no chance against one of the most skilled military operatives on the face of the planet. For all intents and purposes, the unnamed assailant was dead the moment she entered the room.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean she had failed in her task.

The first thing that felt wrong was, that upon being stabbed, Iori didn't wake up. Even getting stepped on a couple of times whilst being covered in glass shards failed to elicit any response whatsoever. Leona dragged the Chinese woman's body off the bed and deposited it in the bathtub before hurrying back out to attend to her client.

Iori appeared fairly robust and healthy, but actually played host to a number of strange physiological deviations. Firstly, he ran a constant fever. That was normal. Fire users weren't damaged by excessive heat. Secondly, his blood wasn't only acidic (which was weird in it's own right), but was also poisonous. All of the IKARI paramedics who had done any extensive field treatment on him found themselves in the medical bay some time afterwards vomiting and running a fever.

That, compounded with the fact he was the only living carrier of ST-1, the artificial blood-transmitted virus which ravaged SouthTown all those years ago, made for a deadly combination. If Iori was bleeding, you'd best put on hazmat, because the man was a weapon even while laying unconscious. It was a miracle he wasn't locked in some bunker a hundred feet underground.

 _The Commander didn't like that idea of him wandering free, but Kagura insisted…_

So when Iori began thrashing, sweating and wheezing, Leona was at a loss. Her traditional first aid training was useless, and the person she was supposed to be saving was something akin to a venomous animal.

But, as always, Leona didn't panic.

She just got to work.

Sure, she didn't quite know what she was doing - but anything was better than letting him flail around then curl up and die.

She grabbed her kevlar gloves, pinned her client down, and quickly located the source of his ailment. The knife had been poisoned, and the wound it left was pungent and wouldn't stop bleeding. In addition to looking quite ghastly (was it necrotizing already?! Impossible) the surrounding blood vessels were beginning to turn black. Most poisons didn't do much to Iori due to his weird blood properties, but this dose was too potent, even for him. If the woman had managed to nick him any deeper - or worse, hit his vitals - it would have been over in an instant.

But for now, there was a glimmer of hope. The cut wasn't deep and the poison was travelling slowly, Leona would treat it like a snakebite… at least until she thought of something else.

So, Leona cleaned off her knife, poured herself a glass of water, took a deep breath, and got to work.

 _Ugh… I'd better not swallow any of this, or I'm going to be sick for weeks…_

* * *

"Heidern let's get som-… oy!"

Iori had just stepped out of the most refreshing shower of his life and was feeling peckish. He hadn't eaten anything at the dim-sum restaurant, and it was almost 8 pm. Luckily they were in Hong Kong, and almost everything here was open 24/7. He had decided that if Leona saved his life - _this would be the second time -_ the least he owed her was dinner. He still felt stoned, and it took a worrying amount of time for him to get dressed, but it didn't take much cognitive function to wander outside and find something to eat.

"... Heidern?"

Iori squinted and walked up to the blue haired woman. She was seated on the couch where he had left her this afternoon, except this time - instead of standing raptly to attention when he called her, she gave no response. She had leaned over the armrest and buried her face into her elbow. It was obvious from her posture she had been trying to stay awake, but had lost the battle with fatigue over the past twenty minutes.

 _Weird… Never seen IKARI sleep on the job before…_

If Iori was a more considerate person, he might have left her alone. She looked exhausted and obviously had a pretty long day. She deserved every bit of rest she could get - especially after saving his life, getting attacked by Hizoku (Iori guessed this lady was a collegue of those two guys he killed in Sweden) and getting unfairly attacked by Rock Howard (and actually leaving him unharmed). He had taken care of the cleanup- but she had done all the heavy lifting, and it looks like she was pretty tired.

But Iori was a bit of a jackass. He was going to treat Leona to dinner because he had set his mind on it thirty seconds ago. Now it was law. If he was going to change plans, there had better be a damn good reason for it - and other people's feelings didn't count as ' _good reason'_.

So he shook his rescuer awake.

"Heidern! Get up! Let's eat."

"-wha! Ah… uh…I-I… don't need… food… "

She was talking weird. She sounded like a stroke survivor.

"Why are you talking so weird? Did you have a stroke?"

She frowned at him and shook her head, then wrinkled her brow and concentrated very hard on formulating her words. Iori collapsed into the seat beside her and waited. He didn't really mind hanging around Leona, she was one of the few people in KOF who didn't piss him off. Everyone in that charade was either a stuck up piece of shit who couldn't stop tooting their own horns, or was a stuck up piece of shit who hated everyone. He fell into the second group, and thereby cast a blanket ' _fuck you'_ over everyone he met during Tourney season.

As a result, he could tolerate almost nobody. Well, except the people who didn't talk to him - he was really good at tolerating people he had no interaction with. Kyo was alright, because Kyo was his best friend (most days he wanted to gut the man though). Kagura didn't participate anymore. Brian Battler tried to avoid him, but Iori never failed to track him down. And Leona Heidern sort of drifted around wherever he went. Something that normally bothered him, but for some reason when she did it - it didn't. He actually rather liked her company, but after the SouthTown fiasco was convinced she _must_ harbor some sort of grudge against him.

"... your blood… or the… poison… not sure which."

"What?"

Leona turned to him, opened her mouth slightly and pointed to her tongue. It was swollen and sported an unhealthy purple sheen. Her eyes were slightly unfocused and her movements were uncoordinated and weary. It looked like she was suffering from some of the same symptoms he was - except in the mouth…

"... how the hell did you get Hizoku poison in your mouth?"

She reached over and pointed at the five neat stitches she had sewn into his arm. She made a biting motion with her hand then shrugged. Iori thought he knew what she was talking about… but that was insane. Nobody would try to extract poison by sucking it out of the wound - it was an antiquated method to treat snakebites. It took a long time, caused the victim to lose a ton of blood (no wonder he was so lightheaded) but it did help.

However, in his case - the procedure posed a tremendous amount of risk to the person administering the treatment. Was the poison absorbable through the mucous membrane? What about his fucking zombie virus? And what about his own blood - which made people who handled it sick - much less anyone daft enough to try and drink it. IKARI wouldn't try that, not in a million years. It was-

"... snake…bite..."

"..."

"..."

"Oh shit! Seriously?!"

She nodded, and looked _just a bit_ satisfied with his shocked expression. She hauled herself upright and offered a tired, droopy almost-smile. Iori leaned back until he was looking at the ceiling and pinched the bridge of his nose. He groaned.

"Dammit Heidern, that's hella dangerous… if your dad found out, he'd kill both of us."

"...secret."

He looked at her. She tentatively patted his arm and gave him a thumbs up. He sighed.

"Alright, not like I have a better idea. I'll go book you and your friend a room, then grab some takeout." He stood and looked around for his keys and wallet. "Just sit tight. Also I'm gonna ask Kagura to drop by to run some diagnostics and make sure neither of us are gonna die… Do you need anything else?"

"Tylenol."

"Aight."

* * *

 _Actually sucking on a snakebite doesn't help anyone - because the bloodstream moves uber fast and there's no way you can do the succ fast enough... but this is fantasy :)_

 _Also Yag is almost dying a lot for a supposably invincible soldier *pikachu_face*_

 _Rehersals tomorrow. Back to the Band. Haven't seen Heavenly Kings for a while eh?_


	31. Skeleton Floodgate

_OoOoOoOoOo_

 _How does Shermie know all this?_

 _She's friends with Vice and Mature ;)_

* * *

It was 9:00 in the morning in the hotel Lobby, and as usual, Iori was late. He always made such a big fuss about being on time for rehearsal, and he always got mad when anyone arrived after he did. But he himself couldn't keep time. Yashiro considered pointing this hypocrisy out to his longtime 'rival', but Iori was too absent to fully appreciate Yashiro's snide comments. He was going to save his angry speech for a better time.

"Bumpkins, why are we rehearsing again? We're not changing the songs, right?"

Shermie yawned beside him. They had a long night out yesterday, eating, drinking, and shopping. Shermie had spent hours upon hours fawning over the new Gucci lines, and spent an inordinate amount of time taking photos. It was hard to stay at the top of your craft when you were only alive for a couple of months per year.

If Yashiro wasn't _actually dead_ he might not have the patience for it. But then again, all he wanted to do was go play in the arcade, and that was equally unproductive. He _loved_ dance dance revolution, and he loved to win - but unfortunately he wasn't that good at his 'sport' of choice. Perhaps it was his bulk? (He could think of all sorts of excuses)

Thing is, when he went to the arcade, Shermie went with him, and _Shermie_ was absolutely ridiculous on that dancepad. Nobody could touch her. She was a god.

And that did Yashiro no favours.

But that was _his_ girlfriend taking names up there, so it was alright. As long as she wasn't beating _him_ into the ground, he still got that sting of victory.

So the deal was this. Yesterday was fashion day. They went and studied at the little bells and whistles fashion designers stuck on their newest shawls. Today was _supposed_ to be DDR day… but Iori had demanded rehearsal. Yashiro could only pray it was going to last only a couple of hours, but honestly it wasn't likely.

"I dunno hun, we'll find out once that Bitch gets down here… he sure is late. Oh. There's his boyfriend."

Shermie sniggered at she spotted their new bassist trudge out of the breakfast buffet room. He went to sit sadly by himself on a couch nearby and preoocupied himself with his cellphone. He looked a bit lonely without Iori wandering around making a fuss.

"Oh~, I'll go ask Rocky boy. _Mon gars_ looks cheerful."

Rock Howard did not look cheerful. He looked disturbed and annoyed, so Shermie tugged her shirt a bit further down and waltzed over to him. Everyone wore street clothes to rehearsal, except Shermie - who was never passed up the opportunity to dress up. She was dressed so formally, it was almost inappropriate. She drew looks of awe and hate from the male and female population respectively. She relished in all sorts of attention.

And the fact that Rock Howard saw her approaching and couldn't quite look away from her _assets_ drew an immense amount of satisfaction from her. She made great show of plopping down next to him, seized hold of his arm, and mashed herself against him. He flinched and turned his head away from her. She wasn't phased.

" _Awww~_ How are you doing Rocky? Something eating you?"

"...Shermie, seriously - I'm not in the mood for this. Get off me."

Disappointing. She had expected this to be more fun. Anyways, entertaining herself wasn't the only reason she approached Rock. She knew he had been hanging around with that little bitch who shot her in the stomach, right? If she could squeeze the gun girl's location out of Rock - then she could go tear that little bitch in two and stuff her insides down her throat. That'd be even more satisfying than making Rock stutter and turn red.

"Grumpy? That won't do. Say~ where's your little girlfriend?"

He tried to stand up and walk away. Shermie snagged his arm and pulled him back down. She wanted this info - and she was willing to give something to get it.

"Come now, _mon gars. Tell you what._ We can have a fair exchange. I know I a lot, you know. I've traversed the paths of the living and the dead. I almost ended the world, I've seen God, I've done my time… _surely I'm worth yours._ "

Oh, that piqued his interest. He sat back down and considered her carefully. She laid her head on his shoulder and imagined what sort of awful things she was gonna do to the gun-girl.

"... what can you tell me about Iori?"

Shermie raised an eyebrow (or course, nobody could tell she had). She had expected a ' _what happens when I die'_ or something equally profound. Well, whatever. She let go of him and dropped her voice into a serious tone. She would tell anyone's secrets for the sake of her own revenge.

"Yagami? Hm… well, what do you want to know? I've known him for a long time. And ah- you need to tell me about your girlfriend in exchange, understand? I need this _drama~_ "

He rolled his eyes and scoffed - but his defenses were down. He'd tell her whatever she wanted to know about the gun-girl without suspecting a thing.

"I don't know much about Seirah, but sure if you wanna know about her… About Boss... uh, how did you two meet?"

"Weak opening, Rocky boy. Firstly, your boss is someone with a lot of secrets, and a _lot~ of skeletons_ in his closet. Are you sure you want to know? He might not be too happy with you."

She drummed her fingers against his shoulder and warned him in a sing-song voice. He looked momentarily torn, then he steeled his will and nodded. Shermie grinned. Across the room, Kensou and Athena had taken a seat with Yashiro and were chatting. Iori, Leona and Whip were nowhere to be seen. There would be no interruptions. She could devote her whole attention to messing up this poor kid.

Besides… she was only telling the truth… except when she was telling lies.

"Well..." Rock fixed her with his undivided attention. He was clearly pretty excited, but was doing his best not to let it show.

"Your dear old boss man is a nasty piece of work. IKARI's top contractor, ' _Kagura's hellhound' -_ and her bitch for that matter, the Yagami heir, and the man who almost single handedly wiped NESTS off the map. Strong as a bull, dumb as a rock, and crazy to boot. That's Iori Yagami. Now - about _your_ girl."

Rock blinked. He was mulling over her words carefully, and answered her question absentmindedly.

"Whip? Uh, well her other name is Seirah - I guess Whip is a code name from IKARI… honestly that's all I really know about her. She's also kind of bossy… so Iori was a soldier?"

 _She's IKARI huh… hmmm…_

That put a wrench in the works. IKARI was very well trained, and no easy opponent. Killing 'Whip' wasn't going to be easy, but then again she and Yashiro needed a project to work on. They'd been getting bored lately and going hunting was a good idea.

But before she could do anything, she needed more information. Little Rocky was going to be her datamine - and she would feed him all sorts of tasty morsels to achieve her goal - true or otherwise.

"Is Iori a soldier? Hah, Hardly. But if you want detail, you'll need to bring me detail. That's it for now _mon gars~_ The war dog is here, and we've got rehearsals."

* * *

 _yag in trouble lel._

 _BUMPKINS_


	32. GamerGirls

_O.o Leo in deep shit._

 _Chizuru Kagura swoops in to save the day!_

 _Shermie vs Whip vs Rock Howard_

* * *

 _*We certainly appreciate her help, Heidern. I suppose we make good partners after all. Now then, I've got a meeting coming in. Until next time.*_

Commander Heidern was boiling. He barely kept himself under control as that devil woman spit into the phone at him. There couldn't be a greater disparity between her tone and diction, and despite her professional words - her voice made it clear her feelings toward IKARI and their commander. He replied through gritted teeth. His knuckles stood white beneath his leather gloves as he clutched the handle of the radio-phone.

"... Very good Kagura."

 _*Click*_

He slammed the phone into its socket and glared at it. He hand had left indents in the metal where he gripped it.

 _Chizuru Kagura…_

Heidern had come to hate her. Originally, he regarded himself above her petty grudges and jabs. Indeed, he even looked down on her. Chizuru Kagura was brilliant, resourceful and supremely capable, but her single glaring weakness was her tremendous ego. If somebody ticked her off - she typically went wild. She was the kind of person to burn down a house to kill a mosquito… and Kagura being Kagura - she could afford to.

Well, Heidern couldn't put the blame entirely on her. If only his _own_ ego didn't puff itself up and decide to treat her condescendly, she might not have the opportunity to do what she did. He knew her well, and knowing her, he knew exactly what she would do… _but merely never considered it might happen to him._

But Heidern couldn't kill her. She was a sacred treasure and Kusanagi and Yagami were a nightmare to deal with. The last thing he wanted was that duo hunting down IKARI. Those two could cause a lot of damage - especially since Kusanagi proved quite the tactician, and Yagami knew IKARI facilities inside out.

As much as Heidern hated to admit it, Chizuru Kagura - a stuffy businesswoman who spent her days yelling at people over the phone - handily outgunned him.

He huffed, and Leona - who was handcuffed to the chair across from him - looked up. The two of them had taken a phone into an interrogation room and hadn't yet shared a word since she flew back into base. The rest of the IKARI warriors weren't happy either. Leona had caused them a tremendous amount of trouble. Of course, they loved her - she was ' _IKARI's darling'_ after all… but even parents became annoyed with their children. Leona had earned herself a cold shoulder from much of the force, and seemingly from her father as well.

The only reason the commander hadn't yet thrown her into solitary, was Chizuru Kagura had called just as Leona was about to touch-down. The woman never called him, and whenever she did - she mostly either delivered bad news or bitched at him.

 _I feel bad for the poor bastard who married her…_

But this time the news was good for him - and Chizuru seemed immensely upset having to deliver it. Evidently, she wasn't doing this out of her own goodwill. Someone had asked her to intercede on behalf of Leona - and the commander had no idea _who_.

Perhaps there was something sinister going on. Whenever Kagura got involved, things got complicated and nasty. Sure, Leona had apparently saved Iori Yagami, and Chizuru had called in to report it… but was there something else going on? Things were never that simple. Maybe Chizuru's reluctance was merely an act to make her message more believable - and Leona had indeed defected. And had defected to Chizuru? Has that devil woman spread her influ-

"Commander?"

Leona was looking at him with a grim expression.

 _That's right..._

He sighed. It was no use considering possibilities until he had gathered all the information. He trusted Leona - yes, with his very life he trusted her. He had raised her from a mere babe… but it wasn't just his life on the line right now. His men, the entire IKARI force, they were on the line, and they had entrusted themselves to him.

For their sakes, he needed to be sure. So, as much as it hurt him to, he hardened his heart, he narrowed his eyes and he threw a snarl into his voice. From this moment onward, so long as she was bound to that chair - his precious daughter was a POW until she proved her innocence.

How?

They had polygraphs, yes, but they used more unconventional methods as well. Leona was going to run the gauntlet in that chair. She knew why she was sitting there - he saw the steel in her eyes - and he knew she didn't regret it for a single moment.

He just hoped he wouldn't regret it either.

He went over to the heavy door and locked it. When he turned back, the woman sitting there wasn't his daughter. She was a prisoner, captured by one of their own and a potential traitor to their organization. She would be held to the highest level of scrutiny, and if she failed - would be subject to the full weight of IKARI's vengence.

Heidern spoke. His words were sharp and weighty.

"Soldier…are you ready?"

There was no hesitation in her voice.

"Yes Sir."

* * *

"…Boss got you a room?"

Seirah shrugged then placed her hands daintily on her hips. She had changed out of her 'work' clothes and had decided to relax in a loose fitting T-Shirt and shorts. She was standing on stage in a large auditorium facing the bench Rock had decided to station himself. Rock watched her disinterestedly.

"Yup. I'm in 1210, just down the hall from you."

She tapped her chin and suppressed a wry smile. Rock Howard didn't really look disappointed, but he didn't look overly excited either. Yesterday, he had the authority to tell her to leave… but now that Iori had approved of Leona's (and by extension, her) presences, she could hang around the band as much as she wanted and he couldn't say a word.

Leona would have loved to be here, but she had been picked up by an IKARI helicopter early this morning - before anyone woke up. Hopefully she would have thought of something to say to the commander on the flight to Ivory Coast, otherwise she might be in serious trouble.

 _The Commander can be scary..._

Ah well, it wasn't as if Whip could do anything about it. Leona had given _her_ a hard time too - finding her would have been impossible without Rock's help. It was a good thing Iori didn't die, but still…

"Oh… Alright. Well, if that's what the Boss said."

Rock sighed and shrugged, then began ignoring her.

The two of them were sitting in one corner of the stage. Rock was wearing a pair of jeans, a misbuttoned dress shirt, and was tuning his guitar. He didn't seem to notice his shirt was wrong, and Seirah wanted nothing not than to fix those buttons. However, that might set him off, and she had nearly been attacked yesterday. She wasn't eager to fight with Rock Howard after that unexpected display of viciousness.

 _He even managed to tag Leona… nobody tags Leona… hope she's feeling okay._

Because contrary to expectations, Rock wasn't _any kind of pushover_ whatsoever _._ His mild and seemingly cowardly demeanor gave no indication of what sort of hell he was willing to release if someone touched his _'cash cow'_.

 _He seriously would have shattered the floor and sent us all plummeting through the building… thank god Iori woke up and yelled at him._

In some regard, he could be described as extremely passive aggressive. He seemed gentle, but watch out! - push him _just_ right and he'd explode. That _little bit_ of danger made him _that much_ more attractive.

Besides, he was cute. What else could she ask for? She smiled at him and unconsciously patted voodoo, who was strapped to her hip. She stopped when she realized Rock was staring at her with that ' _you're crazy'_ look.

"Something to say?"

Rock didn't honor her with a response.

He had finished tuning and was flipping through his sheet music with a sneakered foot. In the background, Iori was discussing something with Yashiro at the piano bench. Kensou and Athena were chatting near the back of the auditorium. The room echoed with the low murmur of conversation, and Rock appeared supremely disinterested in everything besides for his guitar.

That is, until Shermie walked in.

Seirah watched Rock's expression change from ' _I hate my existence'_ to ' _Oh shit'_. Suddenly a look of fake interest plastered itself over his face and - to her surprise - he hurriedly began making small talk.

"... Uh, so you're gonna watch the rehearsal? Or…"

Seirah twisted to glance at Shermie. The woman was facing in her direction, but it was impossible to know if she was looking at them. The woman cast a sultry smile in their direction. Seirah squinted at her and felt like she knew what was happening. She smirked.

"Of course I'm staying for rehearsal. Who else is going to protect you from the lightning bitch? Besides. Leona wants photos."

Rock nodded absentmindedly and glanced at Shermie out of the corner of his eye. Seirah suppressed a chuckle. She was _sure_ she hit the nail on the head. Why was Rock was talking to her? Because he didn't want Shermie to wander over and do _something_ to him… right? Maybe she was harassing him? Considering her personality - and his reaction - it was likely.

"Uh, yeah! Sure. Are you… how long are you gonna travel with us? Doesn't IKARI need you back home? How long are you staying?"

"Trying to get rid of me, Rocky?"

"No! No. Just wanted to know about your-… uh… situation."

He made a hand gesture and suddenly began looking embarrassed. Shermie had wandered further away, but Rock didn't cut their conversation. Seirah was fine with that. She had found Lightning Bitch terribly annoying when they had first met, but it seems like she was going to serve a purpose in her Seirah's dealing with Rock.

 _Hm… Wonder how she recovered from that gunshot so quickly. I know she's undead, but…_

Rock's rambling snapped her out of her thoughts.

"So, what happened back there? You know, in Iori's room with all the blood and guts. That knife? Any clue?"

"Huh?" Seirah frowned at him, "Iori didn't tell you?"

Rock narrowed his eyes and began ranting.

"He doesn't tell me anything. He does weird shit like this and I get no explanation. Back in Australia he got really drunk and said he was leaving for Africa. Then some weird organization delivered him to my door like a freaking Amazon packa-"

 _Africa?_

She interrupted him.

"Hang on, where in Africa? The Ivory Coast?"

Rock was incredulous. He was beginning to look wild.

"What are you talking about?... How in the world should I know where he went? For all I know, he got lost in one of the building's broom closets and hallucinated his way across the globe! I mean, he even broke the eleva-… Wait…"

He suddenly went quiet and searched her face carefully. His eyes flicked from her, to Iori across the room and back. His voice was low and the panic dropped out of his voice. He spoke slowly.

"... Why did you-... Is there a reason that he might go to the Ivory Coast?... You... you're saying he actually went to Africa?"

"..."

A moment of silence.

Seirah smirked.

"I'm not saying he did. _I_ wasn't there."

She watched gears turning in his head. Something clicked.

"…Say, Seirah."

He fixed his eyes straight forward and didn't look at her. He strummed his guitar absentmindedly as he spoke. His tone had gone from serious to exceedingly gentle, and he had put on the fakest smile known to man. He looked like he was in pain. It was almost funny.

"What do you suppose Boss _might have been doing_ had he flown to the Ivory Coast that night?"

"Hmm… not at all sure what you mean?"

But Seirah wasn't a pushover either. A pretty face and a gentle question would get _nothing_ out of her. Hell, she had been trained to withstand interrogations. Rock wouldn't get any scrap of info out of her unless she wanted to give it. He was going to have to play nice.

And Rock seemed to know it.

The smile dropped off his face with an uncanny speed and he gritted his teeth. His eyes went dead and he shook his head, returning his attention to his sheets. This was going to be a game, and both knew it. Seirah was good at games - and mind games were her forte.

And she was going to win this one.

* * *

 _Seirah's playing a game against Rock Howard..._

 _Too bad she has no idea Shermie's playing too!_

 _lmao Lightning bitch vs GunGirl_

 _Vs Nasty Howard._

 _who win?_

 _leave comment below_

 _(who reads this anymore?)_


	33. Athena the Idol

_Welp. Have some Athena._

 _Everyone Hates Iori lmao_

* * *

Athena Asimaya was the first to admit she wasn't the best at keeping her emotions under control.

Of course, when she needed to keep things professional, she bottled up the storm in her brain and powered through whatever nonsense the Industry required. Her devotion toward her career was so strong that she had even tolerated an eight-hour meet and greet with her most devoted fans.

To be completely honest, she hated them.

She didn't always hate them. At the beginning of her career, she craved the attention. Why wouldn't she? She had been a poor teenager, disowned by her parents for her terrifying powers, and struggling not only for means of survival, but for her own self-identity. She had grown up hated, feared, rejected and unloved… so her first fans? Strangers who loved her? Who were devoted to her? Who would - allegedly - give their very lives for her sake? _By god,_ they were her lifeline.

But over the years, they devolved from ' _My lifeline'_ to ' _Useful Idiots'_ to ' _Nuisances'_ to "Downright disgusting stalkers who really need to leave me alone! Even you, Sie - just shut up and sit down. You of all people know I don't need you. If you want to hang around me, then you do what I say. I'm Athena Asimaya, and - _Don't even open your useless mouth Sie! Get out! OUT!_ "

*SLAM*

She did have a bit of a temper problem, and when the pressure just got too great and spilled over… it tended to fall on those closest to her. That is - that whimpering puppy standing outside her door. Sometimes she loved him. Sometimes she hated him.

Right now, she hated him.

Athena locked her hotel room door, teleported the dresser against it, and kicked the bottommost drawer a couple of times for good measure. The room was dark, but the Hong Kong skyline twinkled in through the misted glass windows. Outside, she heard Kensou sigh, then listened carefully to his receding footsteps. She stood there in the dark, gorgeous, perfect, and absolutely seething with frustration. She didn't even bother removing her fake eyelashes before falling face first into bed.

Was she wrong? Probably.

Was she behaving irrationally? Most definitely.

Was this her fault? _Absolutely not._

She clutched her pillow and twisted it as if to tear it asunder. Her purple hair - that had been so carefully set in place this morning - was rapidly becoming disheveled. She screamed into the fabric, before stopping short and taking hold of herself. She sighed and spoke comforting words to ease her psyche.

"Athena… Athena stop. Remember who you are, okay? Everyone loves you. Everyone thinks you're amazing. You have so much money, you don't know what to do with it. You can't even think of anything you want, that you don't already have… isn't that enough? Don't get riled up over that idiot Yagami bitch fuc-... ehm… bitch."

She sighed and sat up. She looked down at the pillow, and noticed much of her makeup had rubbed off on it. A quick burst of telekinesis wiped it clean. She continued to counsel herself.

"He's crazy. Why do you even pay attention to him? Sure - he likes to strut around and give commands and is terrible and rude, but ultimately - he's run the rehearsal well. Everyone knows what to do and how to do it. Isn't that a good thing?"

Her breathing had calmed down and she decided to stop talking to herself. If anyone heard her, they'd think she was crazy.

 _Just calm down… urg..._

But in some regards, she was. Iori Yagami drove her crazy. Nobody who knew her treated her with as much blatant disrespect as he did. Well, it wasn't so much that he treated her badly - she was well aware he was supremely inconsiderate, and was mentally preparing herself for some serious toxicity. She could tolerate that, especially with her career on the line.

 _Just focus on your career… it's the only thing that matters. Be that perfect Idol, and everything else will follow… you got this._

The sticking point was this: Iori Yagami treated her _worse_ than anyone else on the team. Of course, he wasn't out to get her. He just didn't care about her at all. Unlike the rest of the world, ' _Athena Asimaya_ ' was the last thing on his mind. He spent more time and energy on _Kensou_ than her. She wasn't used to being ignored - and being ignored in favour of her living bag-holder/coatstand? _That_ was intolerable.

 _Am I overreacting? …Why the heck do I care about that! Ugh… I sound like some jealous girl. This is embarrassing. Stop it Athena. Just ignore him. Not everyone is going to love you… you've gotta accept that! Okay? Sheesh!_

The only thing that mattered was her career. Her career as an idol was - _her -_ idol as well. She could throw anything away for it. She was a goddess by ancestry, and she fought to attain that lofty status with every fibre of her being. She wanted to be a goddess on earth. She would be admired, and loved, and worshipped, and adored, then _surely_ … that would make her happy.

That was what she told herself, and that was what she believed. She was Athena Asimaya the Idol. She was Athena Asimaya the Goddess…

And Iori Yagami - that mindless wretch - had failed to pay his dues.

 _You're just using him like a pawn on the chessboard. You're far above him. Don't get riled up over his behavior._

He hadn't struggled the way she had. He didn't seem to have the same concerns she did. He hadn't worked for a single thing in his life, yet… why did he have everything she had - and more? _She_ was the goddess, yet while she was painstakingly grooming her image, he was wandering around the Music Awards dressed like a hick and proudly wearing women's makeup… and _who_ got more attention?

Since the beginning, she tended to her fanbase with a careful and diligent hand. Iori had found himself the subject of an even more devoted, cult-like following whom he mostly ignored. How he had attracted such a crowd was beyond her. She had no idea how he did it, but suspected the reason lay somewhere in the millions of dollars of free advertising News Networks did for him and his ridiculous public stunts.

He was powerful too - stronger than her? Neither of them had won a KOF Tournament, but he was a bigger figure in the ring. There was much debate as to who was _actually_ stronger - and the fact that the subject was even debatable was unacceptable.

But the most grevient offense was financials.

Athena knew this was a business, and she was at the top of her craft. She had crawled up from abject poverty. From nothing, she worked like a dog, and now she had 200 million dollars to her name. That was what her career - her Idol - was worth. Everything she had, she gave to her career... and that sum was the sum of her entire being.

Iori Yagami was worth _at least_ twice as much the moment he was born.

When Athena found she would be working with Yagami for the next couple of weeks, she made sure to do her research. What she found made her eyes pop.

It was a thinly veiled secret that he was the heir of the Japanese Yakuza - who's value couldn't even be pinned down. His musical career was worth less than her's _(thankfully!)_ but he didn't care nearly as much as she did. To him, this might be something akin to a hobby. He had even disappeared for significant periods of time for no reason whatsoever (Probably to take a vacation or something equally asinine). He didn't care about his career, and was doing just slightly worse than she? _Unforgivable._

He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and ever since his life has been nothing but rainbows and flowers. He didn't work, he only played. He lived flippantly, doing whatever he wanted to whomever he pleased. He was a man with true freedom. Nobody bound him, he didn't abide by any rules or restrictions. Everyone catered to him. He'd never known hardship. He'd never struggled in his life.

And he was a mere man.

 _She_ was the Goddess! That lot should have been hers! Instead, here she was, slaving away at her career - her vehicle - to attain her rightful place as goddess Athena. Here she was, sprawled out on her hotel bed with cabinets piled against the door and mascara streaming down her cheeks in angry tears. This event was supposed to be tremendous for her - yet her colleagues were two dead people. One flaming idiot, and a little brat who was only brought here to get some practice.

Nobody looked at her. Nobody cared about her. And her only friend was that oaf outside who's bumbling adoration had grown odius to her. She deserved more than this.

 _More!_

* * *

 _I figured if anyone has an excuse to have a god-complex it's gotta be Athena. She actually has a reason lmao._

 _Poor Ken._

 _Did you forget that everyone is evil?_

 _Everyone is evil._

 _(Also, the two times Iori disappeared was 1# 3-months in brazil to get Kyo out of NEST facility #2 Yeet to Sweden to hide for his life)_

 _Athena has a good deal of misinformation about Iori. :o_

 _shits gonna gt hot fam_


	34. The Heart Crushing Seven-Inch Stiletto

Beans are spilled.

:o

Btw, the only reason I started writing again was because someone left me a review - pretty much letting me know that people are still reading this story. As much as I like to say I write for my own enjoyment and not for _(your's)_ I do get a fair bit of motivation from getting feedback.

So I encourage you to write something to me. I mean, literally _'gud shit'_ is like, ayyyy (happy+motivation+wow! Community!)

Also join discord. see my profile. I too laze to copy and paste it here.

* * *

"Don't risk it, _Mon gars~_ I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. This is a question your dear boss won't like one bit. The moment those words pass from your lips, it's all over. Don't you want to stay in the band?"

Rock made a face.

"Depends… on what you tell me."

He had been invited to eat dinner with Shermie the evening after rehearsals, and they were sitting across from one another - date style - on a fancy french restaurant's balcony. This was something Rock would have _never_ agreed to under ordinary circumstances, however, Shermie knew a lot of things, and he was interested in picking her brain for answers. So he agreed, and - naive as always - Rock had assumed they were going to eat hotel buffet together.

He was wrong.

Shermie, who was waiting for him in the lobby - was dressed so formally, it looked like she was about to attend a wedding. She was wearing a red sequined dress and heels which looked seven inches high. She caught sight of him in the lobby (well, Rock assumed she saw him) rapidly packed away her lipstick case, and pounced on him. He was wearing nothing more than his typical jeans and T-shirt, so she dragged him to the nearest clothing store, squeezed him into something expensive, then taxied them to the restaurant.

So here he was, feeling the cool ocean breeze against the back of his head and watching throngs of people walk leisurely on the sidewalks beneath him. All around were neon signs, he assumed these were advertisements, sporting chinese characters he couldn't read. The cars while filled the streets with lights occasionally honked and disturbed the lovely evening atmosphere.

He felt pretty darn classy in his new three-piece suit, and just a _bit_ awkward, since he wasn't used to dressing so nicely. In fact, he didn't own a real tuxedo at all. There was really no need for one at his age… But regardless, he was glad Shermie had gotten him something, because being underdressed was a mistake he had made once with Athena in Australia. He wasn't eager to repeat it with Shermie.

 _Honestly, Shermie seems a lot nicer… too bad she's dead… I wonder who would kill her?_

"Anywho, Rocky," Shermie raised the bottle and addressed him in a sing-song voice, "Why don't you have a glass. The drinking age in this country is 18, and we're taking the taxi home~"

 _Uh oh. No way._

"I'm good. I'm an American, so I follow American rules."

She huffed with mock disappointment at his curt response and poured her fifth glass. The truth was, Rock had never tasted alcohol outside of tiramisu and wine cooked into sauces. He had never been drunk before - and hell if he was going to try it for the first time with Shermie here. He told himself not to imagine the things that sultry woman might do to him if she caught him inebriated, but found his mind wandering in that direction anyways.

 _Oh dammit Rock, she's right in front of you! Can't you concentrate? Don't think about gross stuff… is it offensive to ask her to pull her shirt up?_

They had only just finished ordering, yet Shermie had already wiped out half the bottle. It didn't seem like she was affected by alcohol like normal people were. Hell, if Iori drank that amount, he would have already crawled off the balcony.

 _Hope boss isn't looking for me… Shermie is saying he'll actually fire me if I ask that question? Hm… he might… but if he's like a … I dunno, a serial killer- then I probably don't wanna work for him anyways… right?_

"Now, my boy."

Shermie smacked her lips and placed the empty wineglass on the tabletop with a muffled thump.

"I've loosened my tongue a bit, so let us resume our previous conversation. What are you here for, _hmm?_ Did you join this band on your own? Or did Yagami force you into it?"

Rock furrowed his brow in confusion. What a strange question to ask. _Everyone_ wanted to be in Iori's band… right? Whoever got the spot was bound to be rich and famous in no time. _Maybe Shermie is behind the times?_

"Even though Iori's kinda crazy, if I spend a couple of years in his band, then I can start my own musical career with a huge leg up. This is kind of a stepping stone… you know. Like work experience."

Shermie started laughing. Her breasts were nearly bouncing out of her dress and Rock winced each time he saw her shoulder straps strain against the tremendous downwards pressure. He continued talking while eyeing those straps.

"Uh… so yeah. I joined on my own. I was pretty happy that he let me in the band. Hours are pretty flexible and he pays well… so."

Shermie leaned forward and fixed him with her gaze. Or, well, he could feel her looking at him. She daintily rested her chin on the back of her hand and smiled. It was a bit unsettling.

" _Mon Gars! Career advancement? Stepping store?_ Rocky, Rocky, Rocky… you've haven't the slightest idea. Start your own musical career? _Nonsense._ In four years you're leading this band. Why do you think Yagami is working so hard for you?"

"...wait." Rock was all confused again. He simply voiced his thoughts. "You mean he's retiring?"

More unpleasant smiles.

"You could say that. Oh… _Ah-Ah-Ah~_ before that, you owe me something, don't you dear Rocky. _Your girl._ I need my details~"

Rock rolled his eyes and quickly shifted back as the soup and salad entrees were served. The food looked good, and he had a couple of bites before looking back at Shermie. She remained in her previous position. She didn't touch the food.

"Urm..." Rock finished chewing and put down his fork, "Well, her first name is Seirah and she has no last name, which I thought was pretty weird, but I don't think she's lying. She's supposed to be here keeping an eye on Iori for the next week - until Tuesday. She's in information gathering and is actually an Analyst at IKARI. She says she's not really in the combat division, but is really good with the whip and her pistol. She was bragging to me about how accurate she is with..."

His voice petered out as he realized _just how acquainted_ Shermie was with Whip's pistol skills.

"Uh..."

 _Wait, why does she want to know about Whip! Is it because Whip shot-_

Shermie made a ' _pshhh'_ noise through pursed lips and flapped her hands as if to banish any ill intent Rock was pinning on her. She seized hold of her wineglass again and exclaimed.

"Rocky! Didn't I say I wanted _Drama?!_ I don't need her biography! Are you holding hands? Did you kiss her yet?"

"... No. Honestly, I think she's way too pushy."

"But she's cute!"

"Yeah, but she's kinda crazy."

Shermie smirked at him.

"Well, my boy. You're already in bed with 'crazy'. You've signed contract with Iori Yagami and followed _him_ to the ends of the earth, haven't you? You don't get to complain anymore~"

He made another face and started on his soup. Shermie still hadn't touched her food.

There was a moment of silence between them where Shermie finished off her bottle, and Rock thought of questions to ask her. It seemed like she was satisfied with the - frankly pathetic - _drama_ he had provided. He was free to ask whatever questions he liked. Something in her posture told him so.

This wasn't an opportunity he was going to pass up.

"Shermie," she 'looked' up from admiring her fingernails. "So... from the last time we spoke… you said Iori's a soldier?"

She seemed more than happy to tell him. Rock didn't think to steel himself for such an answer.

"Not a soldier. A butcher. He's fantastically cruel - that one. Vice and Mature tell me about all the things he does in his spare time. He's a busy man, your boss, and one of his hobbies is burning down villages in Cambodia!"

 _What the heck?!_

Shermie just kept talking. There was something like glee in her voice.

"You know, IKARI isn't really a peacekeeping organization. They do all sorts of wetwork. Terrible things, you know? They fight wars, raze countries, and they take no prisoners… but sometimes, when things get too hairy for even them _,_ guess who they call?"

Rock just blinked at her. He tried to say something in protest, but he only managed an unintelligible stutter. _Is she serious?! Wait… no prisoners… so that means…_

Shermie grinned as she cooed at him.

"Haven't you seen him use those flames? They melt steel like butter, and reduce bone to ash. They could burst a man's skull in a moment - and I've seen him do it with these eyes." She brushed at her bangs but didn't part them. "Don't you remember? I told you he wiped NESTS out in South America. I wasn't speaking figuratively. _No, no~_ "

He interrupted her.

"You're Lying! Shut up! He's crazy and violent, but he's not like that! I've known him for… for… "

Rock didn't realize he had stood from his seat until he was yelling down at Shermie. The entire restaurant was looking at them, but he didn't care. His hands were shaking. He felt panicky. During this trip, Iori Yagami had been - in a very roundabout way - his only benefactor. When his boss walked in and started shouting at everyone, things started moving in his favour. Athena wasn't pulling for him. Shermie and Yashiro just wanted to mess around. Whip and Leona were just here to do a job. Only Iori was actually on his side. But now… Now… _Who do I turn to now?_

Shermie merely smiled at him - entirely unphased by his yelling. She seemed keenly aware of the effect this conversation was having on him. Her voice was soft, crooning and somehow cruel as she countered his flimsy argument..

"You've known him how long? _Two months?_ Rocky... I've known him for years."

"... I don't believe a word you say."

Rock muttered out the words. More to himself than to anyone else. He had gritted his teeth and his palms felt sweaty. His mind flickered back to the… hundreds of hours he had spent in Iori's 'office' during the first month of his employment. Did a 'literal mass murderer' teach him music theory? Did he seriously spend an entire day arguing about fingerstyle with him? How about that time Iori found out his birthday was just before he got hired, and got him an entire tub of strange flavored ice cream as a belated (and actually terrible) birthday gift?

 _He'd not really a bad guy… no way… just a bit weird in the head._

Shermie interrupted his monologue. She was enjoying this.

"Ohh, my dear boy. Tell me, did that IKARI girl ever mention anything about Iori? Have you ever considered why they're even here watching him? He works for them! Ask your girl."

"..."

 _Oh shit… Whip did mention him, and how he might be doing 'Something' in Africa… was he-no… is that why he was all messed up afterwards? Is that why he got delivered -all drugged up- to my bedroom like some package in the middle of the night?_

"Oh… oh God."

Shermie stood and walked halfway around the table to pat his shoulder. She seemed immensely satisfied with what she had done to him. Rock couldn't see himself, but judging from Shermie's reaction - he must have looked absolutely distraught. She let her hand rest on his shoulder and continued in a soft voice.

"Don't worry _Mon Gars,_ he'll make you rich and famous. That's all that matters, right? He'll show you all his connections, introduce you to all the right people. He chose to be good to you, and he doesn't change his mind. When you're done, you'll even have the backing of the Japanese Mafia."

Rock opened and closed his mouth a couple of times but no sound came out. He didn't know how to process all of this new information - and frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to. If this was true, _and given all the supporting evidence, it very well might be,_ then… then what was he supposed to do?

 _He's not really a bad guy… he's just an asshole… right? Ugh… I had better talk to him about this…_

Shermie seemed to read his mind. Her voice was deadly serious.

"And Rock. Don't let him know what you heard tonight… this is a secret, and as the days go by, fewer and fewer people know that secret… do you understand what I mean?"

She made the motion of slitting her throat.

Rock stared at her as if she'd grown a third eye.

Then, after a long moment, she exclaimed in a cheerful voice.

"Now then, good luck, _mon gars~!_ I'll see you at the concert tomorrow. Don't be late or your Boss might murder you~ _ciao_ "

And with that, she turned on her heel and clacked away triumphantly in her seven inch stilettos. Rock watched her leave, then slumped - defeated - into his seat.

* * *

YAG IS IN BIG DOO

REEEEE

If I don't get reviews with _'gud sht'_ in them, it means nobody reads the comments smh.

also - if you play Kof Um Ol (mobile game) hit me up on the Big Discord. I'm S54 Miss X. :)


	35. Chapter 35

_Iori's into gender equality._

* * *

"Howard, have you got your sheets? Oy! Could you pay attention? We're live in 50 minutes!"

" _Uh, S-sorry… boss "_

"Kensou you faggoty ass! Where the hell is Athena?"

When you've spent enough time listening to Iori Yagami shout at people, it sort of all meshed together into a blur - and you learned to selectively tune him out. Apparently, Rock, Kensou and Athena had yet to acquire this skill, and were therefore suffering under the Yagami Dictatorship. Shermie and himself had known the erratic redhead for many years, and thus had perfected the art of blocking his existence from their minds. They listened to the drone of him shouting in the background.

" _Athena? I think she went to the restroo-"_

"Go and get her!"

" _But that's a woman's restroom!"_

"Doesn't sound like a goddamn problem to me. Get moving!"

They were seated quite comfortably together backstage and chatting. There was still a good hour before the concert went live, so they had that leeway. After all, they were just backup musicians this time. They didn't need to work as hard as the stars of the concert. Shermie - instead of marching around with a powder brush and fretting over everyone's makeup (something she did almost obsessively on concert-day) - had spent the past twenty minutes excitedly sharing her plan to ruin everything.

"Shermie, that's pretty dangerous. You might get shot again… You shouldn't go alone. Let's go together once the tour is over, then you can have all the fun you want with her."

" _Awww~_ Babe. I love how you still worry about me like that~… _(oops! my mascara)_ " Shermie suddenly got distracted by something and pulled one of her many eyeliners out from her tote bag. Yashiro didn't understand why she bothered using eye makeup. How she managed to apply it through a curtain of thick red bangs, and not get any ink in her hair, was an absolute mystery to him.

She continued talking whilst touching up her eyelashes.

"It doesn't matter if Gun Bitch shoots me. It doesn't hurt that badly, and it's impossible for someone like her to kill me anyways. The only people I need to worry about here are Yagami and Miss ' _I hate makeup'_ over there."

She nodded over to Athena who was being escorted out of the women's bathroom by her boyfriend. Yashiro perceived that Shermie was quite jealous of Athena, and therefore held such a contempt for her - she wouldn't even utter the pop-idol's name.

 _Women… haah, envious creatures. She is really gorgeous though… ah, don't look at her…_

"What about Rock? He'll rat you out to his boss, and that guy _will_ light both of us on fire. Don't do this while that nutjob is around, it's gonna end badly."

Shermie tossed her head back and laughed. She touched her chin and wore a devious look on the lower portion of her face, seeming incredibly proud of herself. Yashiro narrowed his eyes. Shermie wasn't particularly malicious by any means. In fact, while they were active under Orochi, she was the least enthusiastic of them all to commit any sort of crime. To put it bluntly, she really didn't care that much about anything except for what she wanted… and when she wanted something, she _atomized_ anything that stood in her way.

"What did you do to him?"

Yashiro was more curious than warning. He had taken a bit of a liking to Rock, and wished to accomplish this without harming the poor boy. But naturally, if there was no other way to take care of this problem without losing Rock, then he'd just have to go.

"Ahh, the boy? Nothing much. Just let him in on a couple of Yagami's dirty secrets. Rock won't be confiding in his boss for a _long_ while… and he's too scared of the 'make-up-hater' to ask her for help either. He won't say a peep."

She tossed her head back and laughed cheerfully. Yashiro sighed and shrugged. He still didn't want Shermie to go at this alone, even if she likely wouldn't be in any danger. They always did everything together, including murdering little bitches who dared lay hand on them.

"Can we just do it after tour? Then we can avoid all of this mess."

Shermie shook her head and observed her nails. Yashiro pulled a water bottle from under their bench and took a swig.

" _See-yeirah"_ She rolled the name over her tongue like it was some delicious meal, "is with us for another week, and once she leaves, she'll be holed up in some military base in the middle of nowhere."

"Huh?"

"She's IKARI. We're here to enjoy ourselves, aren't we? I don't wanna go attack some military base. I'll get poked full of holes… _any objections now, baby?_ "

"Ah… well."

"That's what I thought. Now, here's what I need from you..."

* * *

 _Still deciding if i'm gonna give Kensou any self respect._

 _vote below with suggestions. prob write chap 4 him next._

 _Realized every single woman I write is pretty forceful and nasty. (except Yuki)_

 _I need to write some nicer girls..._

 _lol jk i'll just make David Tai write girls for me._

 _skrrt!_

 _also name chap_


	36. Sunk Cost Fallacy

_Lol can I just skip concerts now? Literally they're all the same._

 _slowly escalating the drama._

 _DRAAAMAAA~_

* * *

Dear Auntie,

I have no idea how I got into this miserable mess.

I mean, I have a murky idea.

You know Athena? (What am I saying… of course you know her.)

Well the first time I saw her was on TV one day, after I finished my homework (Remember? you only let me watch TV for an hour, and only after I finished homework). Do you remember how strict you were with TV time? It was always so embarrassing telling my friends I couldn't watch all the shows they were watching. They must have thought I was such a baby… but I know you only wanted the best for me.

Anyways.

Back in highschool was the first time I saw her. She was performing on one of those talent shows, and had just started in her musical career. I even remember that she was singing 'Ave Maria' in perfect Italian - when she didn't speak a lick of Italian.

But oh man, Auntie.

That wasn't what got me.

She was _pretty._

By the gods she was pretty.

She was a perfect angel. Like a doll crafted by the hand of god himself.

She was lovely, graceful, sweet. She was the very retainer of youthful beauty… everything a man could ask for and more. She was gorgeous from every angle, and she didn't flaunt it either. She wasn't one of those crazy pop stars who seem to be in competition with each other concerning who can show the most skin. She was modest, strong, she was … everything.

I was obsessed.

But you've recieved enough letters from me proclaiming Ms. Asimaya's beauty and grace etc… I know you don't like her, and I think now… I'm starting to see why.

It's been pretty bad recently.

In the beginning I expected to be looked down on. I mean, imagine being in her shoes? Some random kid from Northern China shows up at your dojo and proclaims his love for you. Anyone would be suspicious, right? I expected to be tested for a bit, but I wholeheartedly believed I would earn her love.

Well, It's been five years and she still treats me like a servant.

Yeah, Yeah - I know I told you that she calls me her boyfriend now. I think it was in response to how I bug her all the time and constantly proclaim my love for her. At the time I was really excited she decided to be my 'girlfriend' (we had to keep it secret because of industry rules) - but in reality nothing has changed at all.

She barely lets me touch her. I still run around and wait on her. She orders me around like a dog.

I have nothing against strong willed women. I think it's really attractive… but being abused? Nah. Not a fan.

And please, Auntie. Don't tell me 'I told you so'. It's so difficult already. I know you've always supported me, so please return some encouraging words. I have nobody else to talk to. Athena is…

Well...

I'm a little bit fed up.

Agh.

Do you know how hard it is for me to say this? I've given up so much for Athena. Mom and Dad won't even talk to me after I left. I know I was supposed to take over the noodle shops for them so they can retire, but instead I took my school money and went to the Psychic dojo... Are Mom and Dad still running those shops? I know how hard they work, and I know they're getting old too… but Auntie - Can I even go back?

I don't think I can. If I do, I will have wasted the past five years of my life! I can't give up now, right? Five years… I would have been working and opening more stores by now. Mom and Dad probably could have retired in Macau, and maybe I'd be married. These are the best years of my life, and I used them to chase my dream.

But I can't help but feel that my dream has turned sour.

Because this isn't what I wanted.

Did I ever tell you that I'm always second place here? Everyone looks down on me - and not just because Athena is better than me in… everything (She's better than a lot of people at everything.)

It's because people see how she treats me. They know she treats me like garbage, and they see that I've tolerated it for five years and running. I'm pretty sure there isn't a single person on the planet she will yell at, like she yells at me. Familiarity breeds contempt, I guess.

Anyways, we're doing a tour with that crazy red haired guy Iori Yagami, and he literally called me a whipped dog the other day. Well, he calls everyone names, so whatever, but even that little kid he brought? Some American teenager? Well, he can't even speak to me, and _he_ looks at me with this pity in his face. He doesn't understand a word of what Athena says to me, but even he knows what's going on between us.

Auntie, they all think I'm pathetic.

What should I do now?

Well… I already know what kind of letter you're going to write in return. Actually, you don't even need to write a letter. We just finished our concert in Hong Kong, and we'll be in Shanghai in a couple of days. I might take an evening to have dinner with you and Uncle Kam before we perform. We can talk in person about all of this.

Thank you so much for supporting me when even my parents don't. I know you've been bugging Uncle Kam to keep that Associate position open for me in his company. Please keep it open a little bit longer. I might fill it soon. Also, I can't thank you enough for sending money to Mom and Dad. I heard that business tax is on the rise, and they really needed those extra funds. We're so lucky to have you guys helping us. I don't know what I'd do without you two.

Also: I heard the baby's coming in a few months! Have you and Uncle Kam decided on a name yet? Please let me know. I am excited to have a cousin.

See you soon!

Love, Your nephew Kensou

* * *

 _AUNTIE KAM_

(u know what happens to my OCs?)


	37. Logistics

_Yag has absolutely zero empathy lol._

 _don't be mean. he's trying._

 _UwU_

* * *

Iori Yagami crossed one leg over the other as he ripped open his first cigarette package of the week and lit up. The hotel lobby was dim and modern, with plenty of nooks and crannies for parties to talk in relative privacy. Upon returning to the hotel, after making all his necessary phone calls, paying everyone who needed to be paid, and signing everything that needed to be signed, he collapsed into one of the lobby couches and stared at the ceiling for a solid fifteen minutes before he felt enough motivation to sit up and smoke.

The other band members had left the venue about four hours before he did. Athena had handled the clean up for Australia (which, Iori imagined, everything just telekinetically folding itself up and teleporting to the places they came from), and supervising Hong Kong was his responsibility. The piano had to be shipped back to the rental store. The equipment had to be packed and marked for Shanghai. He needed to arrange for people to deliver their cargo, and coordinate with Athena's managerial team to receive it. It was a nightmare, but Iori slugged his way through. By the time he finished, it was 8pm, and by the time he arrived in the hotel, it was 9.

He wasn't unhappy though.

The concert was finished, and had been quite a success. Iori would never imagine he'd end up singing a duet with Athena, but it came together pretty well and the crowd loved it. He had to change his style a bit to fit the song (since their voices didn't meld that well), but he got no complaints from her afterwards.

He did his best not to bother Athena too much... at all actually, since she likely wouldn't tolerate being told what to do. He didn't want to set anyone on fire, or end up being thrown out a window - so he gave her the professional cold shoulder and just ignored her existence. Besides, her vocals were none of his business. As long as she was in tune (she was) he didn't care what she did.

Her 'boyfriend' was a different story altogether. Thankfully Athena didn't seem to mind him screaming his lungs out at Kensou, because _hell_ did Iori lay it on thick with that guy. The bastard was a pretty decent drummer when it came to his technique, but he couldn't hold a beat steady for the life of him. During their very first rehearsal, Iori was about ready to strangle him.

 _He improved pretty fast, thank god… I might have gone crazy otherwise._

Seems like he took Iori's constant talk about metronomes seriously, and actually started practicing with one. He was only slightly off beat during yesterday's rehearsal, and during the concert - Iori could find nothing to complain about.

In fact, there was such an improvement. Iori had even considered going over and congratulating Kensou after the concert, but decided against it. It was probably better to keep him on his toes. The last thing Iori wanted was his drummer getting complacent.

 _I'll save it for when this whole thing is done._

Concerning the rest of the musicians, Shermie and Yashiro were good as always. They were looking excessively devious this morning, so they were probably plotting something idiotic. Recently, Shermie was getting off on sexually harassing Rock Howard, so the two heavenly kings had likely planned something embarrassing for the poor kid. Since Shermie didn't seem to be hurting Rock physically, Iori didn't bother intervening. He told himself that Rock was an adult, and didn't need his employer nosing in on his business. Besides, he was busy with logistics and _really_ didn't have the time to deal with teenage drama.

Perhaps that was a mistake.

Because Rock was supposed to be getting more confident and comfortable on stage, _not_ more jittery. That was the whole purpose of this tour. During the Australian concert, anything was permissible. If Rock tottered off stage crying, Iori wouldn't have thought any less of him. If he froze and just stood there gaping like a fish - that was okay too. But his first attempt went much better than expected - it was almost miraculous.

 _A real natural that one…_

So naturally with the first performance going so smoothly, Iori was expecting even more confidence from his bandmate during the second.

Instead, he got an absolute nervous wreck. The teen hardly spoke that morning, and he looked unsettled and ill. He had no energy in him while they were setting up, and only did anything when Iori asked him to. Once the performance was well underway, every time Iori spared him a glance, he looked ready to bolt. He was pallid, exhausted, terrified and his body language said ' _I would rather die than be here'_.

 _He was also fucking off pitch. Did he even tune his instrument?!_

Of course, Iori was making all of these observations in retrospect. During the pre-concert set up, he was entirely occupied with getting everything done, and had no attention to spare for his junior. With the Ivory Coast mission screwing with his brain, and Riot being a little nutsier than usual, Iori was in no state to tend to other people's mental healths. However, whether he was qualified or not didn't matter. Iori was well aware that emotions were running high in his little entourage. There were all sorts of things happening right under his nose which he had no idea about. If something was making Rock so uncomfortable that he couldn't perform, then that needed to be dealt with.

 _Hm… should I get a coffee? We fly tomorrow at 11, so the caffeine should be no problem…_

Iori was no detective, and frankly, he was too tired to try and snoop around for details. He decided to get the facts from the source, and had called Rock's phone to demand his presence for a one-on-one debriefing in the lobby. It was scheduled for 10pm.

Hopefully the issue would be small and easily resolved, because frankly, Iori's brain wasn't going to tolerate anything remotely complex. Maybe he'd get a quick nap before Rock arrived. It was only 9:40, and his could seriously use one...

* * *

R: O _hShit_ O _hShit_ O _hShit_ O _hShit_

I: Zzzzz

^spoilers for next chap.

Yag just tryna be nice, but nobody notices.

Rock gonna punchy again?!

 _nah_


	38. A Bad Deal

_Whip is back baybeee._

 _If whip is a clone she's probably not actually 16. Her mental age/bodily maturity be that, but the years she spent on planet Earth is likely closer to... 7._

 _careful brocky_

* * *

 _D-does he know… should I just run?_

Shermie's warning tumbled around his head as he stared at the clothes he'd laid out on the bed and pondered whether he should put them on or not. About ten minutes ago, Iori had called his phone and he - like an idiot - had picked up.

Rock had been doing his best to avoid his employer ever since he became privy to some very dangerous information (if Shermie was to believed). Of course, Shermie wasn't the most trustworthy source - but if his life was one the line, Rock wasn't taking any chances.

Anyhow, after the concert, he left for his hotel room as soon as he was allowed and holed up. Shermie and Yashiro rode the taxi with him, and the whole while they kept glancing at him. Shermie was sniggering, and Yashiro just looked worried. That was the worst combination of signals he could possibly be receiving, and that put him even more on edge than he already was. By the time he locked himself in the bathroom, his mind had already cast him into the pit of 'worst case scenarios'.

So he _really_ shouldn't have picked up his phone when he saw 'Iori Band' as the caller ID. It was already 9:50, and he could probably make the excuse he had fallen asleep. At least he could get murdered after getting well rested.

 _It's not too late to run..._

But - perhaps it was force of habit - he picked up the phone, and immediately regretted his entire existence. Iori sounded pretty annoyed, perhaps even murderous?, and demanded they meet one on one in the hotel lobby.

 _I mean, it's in public… I don't think anything will happen? Dammit Rocky… why are you so indecisive! You should have run hours ago! Now what!... ugh, what should I do… I need a bodyguard…_

… a bodyguard? Not a bad idea.

 _Is Whip around?_

It was now 9:55, and Rock had exactly five minutes to procure some sort of defense against his maniac boss - who was a serial killer, a mafia leader, a war criminal, and who knows what the heck else. At this point, Rock wouldn't be surprised to learn Iori was an alien as well.

 _Look… maybe you're overreacting? I mean, Shermie likes to mess around… she could just have made all of this up… stop it Rocky. Just call Seirah. She has a gun, so at least she can threaten Boss if he goes nuts._

Rock shook himself to attention and quickly dialed Whip whilst getting dressed as quickly as he could. He had spent the past three hours in a cold sweat, and his previous change of clothes had become quite disgusting. If he was going to die, or… have any human interaction whatsoever, he probably needed to not smell like a trash heap.

 _*Brrrr-*_

 _*Rock?*_

Seirah sounded a bit confused. She had every right to be, since Rock had been giving her a bit of a cold shoulder. He had made it pretty clear he didn't appreciate her presence, and it seemed like she was slowly getting the hint. But now, Rock needed her, and he desperately hoped she still retained some affection for him. At least enough for him to get through tonight alive.

"Hi, Seirah… uh I need a favour."

 _*Favour? You don't get anything for free, Rock. You've got to do something for me fir-*_

Rock interrupted her. Perhaps she heard the panic in his voice and allowed it.

"Seirah - _please._ I'll pay it forward. Whatever you want. But right now I think Iori might kill me, and I need your help."

A long - incredulous pause. The clock ticked over to 9:57.

 _*What do you mean. Why would he kill you?*_

The very fact her reply wasn't ' _don't be stupid. Iori won't kill anyone_ ' was confirming all of Rock's terrified assumptions. At this point, he wasn't above begging.

"I can't tell you! If I say it, it'll be even worse! Please Seirah! I'm just asking you to come to the lobby with me. You don't even have to do anything! If he gets aggressive, then just pull your gun and I'll run. Then w-"

 _*Alright, hold on. First answer this - did you try to kill Yagami or any of the sacred treasures recently?*_

"What? No. Of course not."

 _*Then I'll help you. But let's get this straight. The only reason I've agreed to this is because I know you're getting scared of nothing. I don't know what sort of thing you think you've gotten into, but I'd be surprised if Yagami has even noticed, much less cares enough to do anything about it.*_

Rock took a deep breath and finished buckling his belt. Somehow Seirah's condescending rant was calming him down. She was a little bit pushy, and could be quite annoying, but right now Rock was immensely glad to have her companionship in this little venture. He breathed a premature sigh of relief. Her next line was in no way reassuring.

 _*Secondly, I can't actually take on Iori in combat, so in the future, don't expect me to. Hardly anyone can deal with that bastard. If you wanted to actually fight him - you're better off calling that Athena woman, or Kusanagi. Understood?*_

"Uh… _wait._ "

 _*Right. Meet me at the elevators. What time do you need to be down there?*_

Rock glanced at his watch.

"Like, now."

 _*Then let's hurry. You don't want to make him cranky.*_

* * *

Rock was both relieved and embarrassed when he stepped out of the elevator into the lobby and caught sight of Iori. Embarrassed with all of his whining, and relieved because his boss - and potential murderer - was sleeping quite harmlessly one of the couches scattered across the foyer.

Whip chucked and elbowed him affectionately before going to sit somewhere out of earshot. She positioned herself where she could peek over her… Japanese comic book? and winked at him. During the elevator ride, she had made all sorts of demands concerning dinner and gifts and favours. Rock had nervously agreed to them all. Now - looking at the situation, it seemed like she was going to get a whole pile of favors for a whole lotta nothing.

But Rock wasn't mad. He was still thankful for her presence.

His sneakers squeaked against the polished marbled floor as he made his way across the lobby. The place was lighted relatively dimly, and there were those fake electric candles everywhere. There were patterned cloth panels lining the walls, and beaded curtains seperated the furniture suites from each other. Classical piano was playing over the speakers. All of this made for an an uncomfortably romantic atmosphere.

As he approached, the fans who were gingerly taking photos with Iori snapped wildly and dispersed. There was an expresso shot sitting on the coffee table beside the couch. Evidently the order had come too late, and the hostess had just dropped the drink off without waking the red-haired man. He was slumped over the armrest, soundly unconscious. The pile of sheet music which was stacked in his lap had begin to slip onto the floor and his makeup had smeared quite badly over the course of eight hours. The longer Rock looked at his face, the more comical it appeared. It was obvious that this man wasn't about to kill anyone. All in all, he looked pretty wrecked.

 _Guess Seirah was right… I'm glad she was. I wonder what Iori wants then? Welp._

"Hey Boss?"

…

Rock gingerly shook him by the shoulder.

"Boss. Uh… _hey wake up._ "

No response.

Another shake.

…

He could see Whip chucking from across the lobby. Rock rolled his eyes and continued his attempt. He was shaking quite violently at this point, but it seemed to have no effect whatsoever. Rock never understood how Iori managed to sleep through everything. It really was incredible.

 _I hope he didn't take his sleeping pills… he sounded ok on the phone._

"Hello!? Come on man! I thought you wanted to talk! Iori! _-woah_!"

Papers went a fluttering. The coffee spilled. Iori woke suddenly and grabbed him by the wrist. He seemed equal parts startled and bewildered and just looked around for several seconds. Rock watched him with a bored expression. This was so much less terrifying then he had imagined that it was becoming almost comical.

Iori blinked at him.

"Oh...Howard?"

Iori furrowed his brow, then glanced down at the watch on Rock's wrist - which he was still holding in a vice grip. There was a moment of silence.

"Howard, it's 10:05. You're late."

It was Rock's turn to sputter.

 _"Are you kidding me?!"_

* * *

 _Terrible boss 100 lmao._

 _SLAP LIKE NOW_


	39. Bad Habit

_Tired Iori is SUCH a nice guy lmao._

 _He sucks when he's normal._

 _Rock + Whip vs Iori._

* * *

"Boss, we should just print new ones… the coffee spilled on a lot of these. They're all soggy."

"Those have notes on them?"

"Uh… maybe? Doesn't look like your handwriting though."

Iori grunted and peeked over the coffee table at his junior. He was kneeling on the floor, busily looking for the modified sheet music Athena had prepared for him to perform during the Shanghai concert. She had been keeping a finger on the media's pulse, and concluded the public liked it when they shared the vocals. She had dug up some of her old duets, changed the key to fit in both their ranges (no small feat) and teleported them to him while he was negotiating with a shipping representative. It scared them both so badly, Iori set himself on fire and the rep tipped his chair. Those papers had been hand-marked, and now…

"If it's Athena's handwr-... _oh fuck me. Howard. Give._ "

Rock was standing there with two fistfuls of coffee stained papers. They were clearly wrecked, illegible, and were falling to pieces. Rock grimaced and carefully placed the brown colored tree pulp on the table. It made a sucking noise as it spread across the laminated wood. Iori just stared at it. He stood up from the floor and slumped into the couch. He let out a long sigh and covered his eyes with both palms.

 _Well… this sucks._

It was a little past 10 in the evening, and although it wasn't rush hour, the hotel lobby was far from deserted. There was significant foot traffic, and as a result, a significant amount of people were starting to recognize him. Iori watched them approaching from between the cracks in his fingers and willed them to go away. He was tired. He was grumpy. He was wearing half a face of makeup and _really_ didn't want to interact with fans.

 _Shouldn't have waited in the lobby…_

"Boss, what do you want to do with this? Do you think you can you read it?"

"Hm?"

Iori looked up.

Rock was still standing at the head of the coffee table, and turned to motion to the sad looking pile of goop on the table. He was doing his best to shoo the crowd away, and busied himself attempting to communicate despite not speaking a lick of Cantonese. He was successful, thus there was no need for Iori to further expend energy he didn't have.

 _I'm getting old, aren't I? Is this what being old feels like?_

After they found themselves in relative peace, Rock took a seat across from him and carried on his conversation.

"What is it supposed to be? Are those sheets?"

"Athena's got us a new song."

"Oh…" Rock poked at the alien looking mess. "So this is why you called me."

A pause. Iori gathered his words.

"No." He was shocked as to how disappointed he was. _Fuck I sound like my dad._ "Well, maybe I _should_ have called you to review these. I honestly didn't think I'd have to go through music with you, but after today's lovely display of musical _talent_ " A pointed stare. "Looks like I might."

Rock blinked. He didn't seem to understand.

"What do you mean?"

Iori coughed then continued. He did his best not to sound as tired as he was. On a normal day, he would definitely have shouted at Rock, but he wasn't really up for it right now. He spoke slowly, but only so he didn't jumble his words.

"Howard, I've never heard you so fucking out of pitch. What the hell happened? Did you shatter your eardrum this morning? Cuz this was literally the worst I've seen you play. If you did this during your interview, I wouldn't have hired you."

Iori huffed and planted an elbow against the armrest to pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked past Rock's shoulder to watch the people lining up in the check-out line.

Rock appeared both relieved and nervous at the same time. He dropped his eyes to the ground and chewed on his lip silently. He didn't answer, so Iori continued. He took special care to calm his voice a bit. He wasn't actually mad, after all.

"I know you're better than this. Normally you are, so there must be something that's fucking you up so badly you can't tune your instrument. I need to know what it is so I can take care of it."

A pause. Rock grimaced and spoke quickly. Despite his efforts, his voice betrayed a degree of worry. Iori blinked and refocused, watching him carefully.

"Take _care_ of it? What does… what is that supposed to mean?"

Iori huffed. The question was so asinine, he almost didn't honor it with an answer.

"What that fuck do you think it means? I told you. The only reason I'm here busting my ass on tour, is because _you_ need the practice. If something is stopping you from improving, then I need to get rid of it, or-"

Iori paused as he caught sight of Shermie and Yashiro leave the dining room. Shermie was wearing a dangerously strapless dress, and… _Yagami! Focus damn you._ He quickly pulled back from the distraction to finish his sentence.

"-or them. Now, spill the beans."

Rock had followed his gaze to and from the Heavenly Kings, and swallowed audibly before answering. He looked scared and sounded strangled.

"Uh… nothing is happening. I'm… I'm just… I'll do better next time."

 _Why the hell is he stuttering? I yell at him all the time during practice, and he's never like this._ Iori narrowed his eyes and watched as Rock shrank under his stare. The boy was panicking, and definitely hiding something. He kept glancing behind him at… _is that Leona's friend?_

"Howard. Is IKARI stalking you? Why is that soldier over there."

"No! I, uh… I asked her to… um…"

"You what?"

"Nothing!"

Rock flinched at his own voice, as if he didn't realize he had just shouted at his employer. Normally Iori didn't tolerate being yelled at (or punched for that matter) but Rock had actually clapped his hand over his mouth. Iori decided to overlook the offence. He didn't want a fight.

That didn't mean he was going to let it go.

"Not IKARI? Are you sure? If that one's pulling some nonsense I can call the Commander an-"

"No!- I mean yes! Whip is.. she's okay. She's not causing any trouble."

Iori frowned at him.

Rock set his face like stone and met his eyes with a boyish defiance. The tension in his neck indicated he was clenching his teeth. Iori was getting annoyed just looking at him. He was also tired of this guessing game, and he wanted to finish up and take a shower, but apparently Rock didn't want to tell him what he wanted to know. Honestly, the only effective method Iori knew for extracting information involved bloodshed, so he was at a bit of a loss right now.

 _Alright, you little shit._

He raised his voice in annoyance and curled his lip into his trademark snarl. Iori didn't expect to find this much resistance while trying to help people - and frankly, he was getting quite frustrated. He glared at the teenager, and _(surprisingly)_ the teenager glared back. Rock seemed to be anticipating this, and was clutching at his armrests with all of his strength. There was a hint of wildness in his look. Iori didn't notice. He wasn't sparing attention for Rock's tantrum cues. Apparently Leona's friend… Whip? _had_ noticed, and was striding over from her couch on the other side of the lobby. She looked panicked.

Iori hissed at him.

"Alright Howard. If it's not IKARI, then who? Something is going on with you, and you're going to tell me because _this is my business_. First concert? beautiful. Rehearsal? flawless. Today? Holy shit. I've complained plenty about your technique, but until now I never thought you weren't worth my time. Whatever's fucking you up, I'm gonna get rid of it. So stop messing around and level with me-"

This time, Rock _stood up_ to yell at him. There was something close to hysteria in his voice. He was almost frothing at the mouth, and he looked as rabid as he sounded. Iori stunned into silence. The only thing he could think was, _'are you fucking kidding me!'_

Rock screeched. Iori covered his eyes and breathed heavily through his nose.

" _Level? Level with you?!_ You want me to tell you everything, when you tell me nothing, Right?! I'm not some dog, Yagami. And I'm not going to put up with you, you asshole! You've got some nerve asking me shit, when you won't even tell me why the hell you were in the Ivory Coast, and why the hell you got dropped in my hotel room afterwards! Or why the hell you ate my curta-"

The other people in the lobby were staring, but Rock - who was normally so self conscious, didn't seem to mind. Rock was so mad, he was even stomping his feet. He was making quite a fuss, and drawing a great deal of attention. Whip was fast approaching. She wisely didn't draw her firearm. If she had, Iori would have toasted her right there.

 _This damn entitled brat... fuck! ... wait, did he say Ivory Coast?!_

Iori's fatigue fled, and suddenly he was snapped fully to attention. He squinted at Rock, who was ranting and making theatrical gestures. He didn't seem to realize he had admitted to knowing a lot more than Iori had anticipated.

"Rock! Shut up! Stop it you stupid idiot! Hey!"

A girlish voice interrupted. It was Whip. She looked concerned and grabbed hold of Rock's arm. That seemed to snap Rock out of whatever rage he was caught up in, and he startled into silence mid-sentence. She shook him by the shoulder and hissed angrily into his ear. They consulted for a brief moment before Rock took a couple of deep breaths and addressed him. He was still coming down from whatever high he was riding, and managed to snarl an apology before turning violently on his heel and attempting to leave.

 _What the hell!_

Nobody walked away from Iori Yagami like that. This kid was gonna get it.

"Howard! get your ass back in this seat."

Rock flared up again, but this time, Iori was having none of it. After a good deal of deliberation (and instruction from Whip), Rock finally slumped into the couch and glared daggers at him. Iori turned to Whip and addressed her with equal sharpness.

"IKARI. Leave."

Whip opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it and reluctantly let go of Rock's arm. She slowly made her way back to her couch across the lobby, all the while looking back as if expecting one of them to eat the other. When she was well out of earshot, Iori turned his attention to the grumpy brat trying to stare holes through his forehead. Iori would never had anticipated Rock Howard to be this crazy. While they were in SouthTown, he _never_ exploded like this. He was quiet and shy, and didn't cause trouble. But the moment they went on tour, everything changed. This kid had punched him. He'd punched Leona. He screamed at everyone. He raged at everything. It reminded Iori of his own behavior...and he wasn't comfortable being on the receiving end of it.

If anyone else had done what Rock managed over the past week, Iori would have gutted them ten times over. But since Iori wasn't willing to let the kid walk, it more or less gave the teenager licence to run roughshod with minimal consequence. That didn't mean Iori wasn't mad about it though. He wasn't one to hold grudges, but _this kid..._

Iori squeezed and unsqueezed his fist, unintentionally shredding through the sofa's fine leather. He stared Rock down, and pondered how he was going to handle this. Rock looked like he was finally done being a pissy brat, and looked a lot less wild than before. Whip was staring at them from across the room.

 _Alright Yagami... what to do._

Rock was valuable to this band because he could play. He was nothing short of a musical genius - and that was what he was brought on board to do. Play his sheets, and not make mistakes. If he couldn't do his job when it mattered, then for all intents and purposes - he was a mere waste of time.

Right now, the cards were stacked against Mr. Rock Howard. If he was great during practice, but was awful on tour, what good was that? Iori was truly hoping _something_ could be blamed for Rock's terrible performance. Something he could fix, cut out or get rid of. But if Rock was to believed, and there was actually nothing going on, that meant he was just occasionally awful for no reason... that wasn't going to fly. He might actually not be worth the effort.

 _It was just one performance though... agh._

Aside from that... there were bigger things involved here. Things more important than concerts and musical careers. Iori Yagami was no saint. This he knew. As a result, he was tolerant of all sorts of character flaws - since he himself played host to a great majority of them. He was the last one to condemn another's behavior as unacceptable... However, one thing he never did - and neither did he expect anyone else to - was lie, and especially not to him. If nobody told the truth, then nobody could be trusted. That wasn't a reality Iori was willing to accept, so he rejected it entirely. Nobody he cared about lied to him.

So what Rock said next was really going to effect Iori's opinion concerning his new bandmate.

"Howard."

His voice was cold and serious.

"How do you know I went to the Ivory Coast."

...

Silence.

The nastiness in Rock's expression evaporated as swiftly and it had come. He cast his eyes to the marble floor and pondered. A little bit of panic was followed by regret. He seemed to sense the gravity of this situation, and was thinking hard about how to answer. Did you need to think hard to tell the truth? Was he going to lie on top of everything else?

He shook his head and refocused just as Rock began speaking. He spoke tentatively and didn't meet Iori's eyes.

"The Ivory Coast?... You told me before you left. At the bar."

Iori offered a deeper frown. He narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think so."

Rock nodded aggressively and replied with earnestness.

"Definitely. You definitely did. How would I know otherwise?"

"I didn't. Someone told you."

Rock paused, deliberated, and came to an agreement with himself. He had decided to insist on with what Iori knew to be a lie. Something changed, and Iori felt what little goodwill he had draining fast. Rock continued flippantly chattering away. Iori continued shredding the leather sofa.

"No, no. You told me. And you were super drunk too, so you probably don't remember saying it. Okay? Can I go?"

He made motion to stand up and leave.

*Crack*

Something snapped and Rock froze. Iori had shredded into the sofa's wooden frame. He clung to his seat and stared at Rock with wide eyes, not trusting himself to stand - lest he lunge forward and cut his junior to pieces.

 _Oh...okay... breathe Yagami..._

He was seething. He hadn't been this mad in a long, long while. When people he didn't care about insulted him, he didn't give a shit. When his enemies tried to manipulate him, well - that was expected... but when somebody he counted as his _own,_ decided to lie to his face...

 _... calm your tits, asshole..._

Heat was crackling in his veins, and he watched as his vision began swimming before his eyes. It took every ounce of his willpower to _not_ strangle the boy right there on the lobby floor. Rock read his body language and stopped trying to walk, and started trying to sink into the sofa.

They sat in tense silence for a long moment, before Iori suffed his rage away, and managed to breathe normally. He didn't realize how tense he had gotten until he unwound and _everything_ ached. With a _*shink* h_ e unhooked his fingers from deep within the armrests, and slumped down into his seat. He propped his elbow against the wrecked couch, covered his eyes with one hand, and sighed into his palm.

When he finally spoke, he sounded old, dry and tired.

"Rock... that's bullshit and you know it."

This time, Rock didn't try to defend himself. He remained silent.

"I know what I said. I told you I was going to Africa. I would never have said Ivory Coast, because I didn't know where I was going until I arrived."

"...oh."

Iori dropped his hand and looked at his junior with something akin to disappointment.

"That doesn't matter too much. I don't really care who told you. It's military ops, and it's classified, but you know me well enough and I'm no stickler for rules... but you lied to my face just now. Is this going to be a habit?"

Rock shook his head, and stared at his feet. Iori continued.

"Cuz you've made a habit of a lot of things. So far, all you've done since we've left Florida is attack me, spend my money, throw tantrums, and _now_ you can't even give decent performance. You won't tell me why, and you let me help you. I'm your Boss, Howard. I'm not your Mom and I don't need to put up with this."

"..."

"But I have, and I'll continue to for a little bit longer. I'll let you run around and pull all sorts of crazy shit. Go ahead and punch me. Buy your drugs. Lie, steal, cheat. Go kill somebody. Do whatever you want. But screw up the next concert and you're done. I'm sending you home, because I've just about had it with you.

"..."

"Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

Iori stood with a grunt, and brushed off his pants. As he passed the coffee table, he burnt the sad pile of destroyed music sheet into ash. It was a shoddy cleanup job, but he wasn't willing to do any better. He was drained. He wanted a shower. They were flying tomorrow, and...

 _Bet he doesn't know the schedule._

"Rock."

The boy jerked to attention. He looked as sad as Iori had ever seen him.

"We fly for Shanghai at 11 tomorrow. Lobby at 8:30. Don't be late."

* * *

 _Shermie messed shit up real bad smh._

 _Rock realizes how shitty he's been. He's too concentrated on roumere about his boss being a terrible person, that he didn't realize how awful he's been. Yag's been pretty darn good to him tbh._

 _Rock is in all kinds of funk poor baby. Now nobody's on his side, cept whippy._

 _We're ramping up plot!_

 _LMAO YAG U DON"T LIKE LIARS? wreeee devilmom_


	40. MOM

_DEVILMOM_

* * *

In Tokyo, the stars were dimmed out by the bright city lights, yet Chizuru Kagura still did her best to make them out from her office window. She was standing a couple of inches from the floor to ceiling windows with one of her cellphones pressed against her ear and Iori Yagami on the other line.

It was 11pm and she had just finished reading through the final draft for tomorrow's press conference. She was set to give a forty minute speech explaining this quarter's less-than-stellar earnings report. Honestly, it wasn't going to do anything - stocks were going to drop anyways - but her PR consultant had insisted that she be there and waste an hour coddling investors, instead of working.

In any case, Chizuru had just finished up her day, and was looking forward to heading home to have her glass of wine and… some Chopin. _Chopin would be nice._ She had even had her briefcase sent down to the limousine, and was about to take the elevator down to the lobby, when her "IMPORTANT" phone rang. It was Iori, and unlike Kyo - who constantly liked to bug her for no reason, Iori only called when he was at his wits end and (typically) neck deep in a raging shitstorm.

He seemed to be having lots of emergencies lately. A couple of days ago, he called to report he had nearly been murdered by the Hong Kong Triads, and wanted her to pull some strings for him. The day after, he called to report he had just barely survived being poisoned to death - and needed some _serious_ dialysis. One of Chizuru's most memorable phone calls was several years back when she needed to talk Iori out of cutting his own throat. It was a damn good thing she had picked up then, so to this day, she could boast of having never missed a call from her favorite hellhound.

She wasn't about to break that streak now.

Chizuru quickly collected herself, took a deep breath, and braced for a crisis.

 _*Click*_

"Gammy?"

 _*Kagura, I need some help.*_

"I know. What is it this time. Trouble?"

 _*Yeah. Well, I'm not sure. You tell me."_

That… wasn't normal. Well, normal was bad. 'Normally' their conversations opened with Iori screaming profanities at somebody, before realizing her line had connected - then he would proceed to describe his current situation as quickly and as confusingly as possible. Sometimes there were gunshots and explosions in the background. Often, he was hyperventilating. Usually someone was dying off to the side.

"Is someone dying?"

 _*Huh? No. Not that kind of trouble. Just listen. I need advice."_

Chizuru frowned. _Advice?_ Since when did Iori take anyone's advice? The man wasn't really a planner or tactician. His response to nearly everything was pure instinct. Even if he wanted to employ advice, it would be difficult for him to make use of it - since he didn't do much thinking on the regular.

"Advice, huh. Well, Alright… go on?"

Still, Chizuru cared for him, and as long he didn't call her on the often for these 'non-crises', she would entertain him. She slung her wool overcoat across her shoulders and grabbed her keys before locking her office and starting down the hallway and toward the elevators. Iori chattered in her ear. She yawned as she listened.

 _*So I hired this kid about a month ago to play guitar for me. He's fucki-... he's great at it and I like his personality - but the kid has gone batshit crazy.*_

"Oh? Why? Did you do something?"

 _*Me? No… well, actually I haven't got a clue. That's not important though. I can deal with crazy. The problem is he's also violent - and he also fu-...messed up a concert. He can punch me in the face as much as he wants as long a-*_

Chizuru stopped him.

"He punched you in the face?"

 _*-as he can pla-... What? Yeah, he punched me. I'm okay though.*_

"Is _he_ okay?"

 _*Who?*_

"The… kid. Your employee."

 _*Howard? Yeah he's fine. Why wouldn't he be? I got attacked, not him.*_

"Ah… Good job."

 _*What?*_

"Nothing. Go on."

Iori didn't seem to understand she was praising his terrific show of self restraint in not mauling this _Howard_. Iori had a pretty explosive temper and he tended to take care of his problems in the crudest way possible. Chizuru couldn't find it in herself to explain this - almost backhanded insult to him, so she left him to decipher it on his own. After a moment, he gave up, and continued narrating.

 _*Anyways. Earlier today we were performing, and - I don't know what went wrong with him, but he was so fucked up he couldn't play a single note correctly. He was almost a semitone off pitch and it was screwing with everyone on stage! Something was fucking with him hard - since I know how good he normally is. I mean, I've probably listened to him play for hundreds of hours by now, and he has never been this fucki-... this bad. What do you think is happening?*_

The elevator dinged and began descending the levels. Chizuru smoothed her hair and eyed herself in the burnished steel before replying. Normally she didn't put up with listening to people's petty issues (and this was a _very_ petty issue), but the fact Iori Yagami was bringing this up made it interesting in itself. She could count the people Iori cared about on one hand - and it was in her best interests to keep tabs on who her hellhound took a liking to.

"Well, this may come as a surprise to you - but I don't know everyone, and I don't know this Howard… But to answer your question. Anything could have happened. Maybe he didn't get enough sleep - or he ate something strange and got food poisoning. He could have found a girlfriend, or gotten in a fight with someone. Did you even ask him? Or are you making conspiracy theories on your own?"

Iori sounded offended. Chizuru rolled her eyes.

 _*Of course I asked him! I was really civil too, and in the end he got mad and started freaking out and fucking yelling at me! Guess he wasn't yelling that carefully, because he mentioned the Ivory Coast. When I asked him how he knew I went there, he got super scared and kept insisting I told him while drunk.*_

"Did you tell him while drunk?"

 _*No.*_

"Are you sure?"

 _*Chiz!*_

"Okay, okay…" She suppressed a chuckle lest he start whining. It seemed there was nobody on earth who could hurt Iori's feelings but her. Well, Kyo could, but he had to do something pretty wild to get a reaction. Chizuru found it amusing that her mere tone of voice had such a dramatic effect on the most callous man on earth. She continued. Her voice was languid.

"Alright Yagami. Well, that was a very interesting story - but you haven't gotten to the point yet. Lots of people try and lie to you - and you don't get torn up over it. Lots of people punch you too. Nothing really seems out of the ordinary to me. What is the issue that you need advice on?"

He paused to think.

 _*ah- yeah. I'm debating whether to fire him or not. He yells at me. He screwed up a performance. He lied to my face for no fucking reason. I asked him if he was digging dirt on me three times, but he still insisted he wasn't, even though I know he must be. Do you understand what I'm getting at?*_

He had started jumbling his words. It seemed he was just saying whatever came to mind, and relying on her to organize his thoughts for him. Chizuru sighed and listened carefully. She was well trained in ' _verbal diarrhea'_.

"Gammy, I don't understand your conflict. If you want to fire him, then fire him. You're paying him to perform. If he can't do it, then cut him and look for someone else. Simple."

He was hesitant as he spoke.

 _*Ah… well, I told him if he fucked up again he's done and I'm sending him home. The problem is, he's still in training. This tour is for practice. He's supposed to be improving, but he's not - and he won't say why. I already told him I was gonna get him through this, but… I don't know. Is the brat even worth it? I don't wanna go back on my word - but I gave ultimatum just now, and hell if I'm taking that back.*_

He ended that sentence with a note of finality, as if he had just made a point. Obviously he hadn't, but regardless, Chizuru had been his confidant long enough to understand his drabble.

"So, you simply have conflicting feelings about Mr. Howard. One side of you wants to train him up - and the other is annoyed he's dishonest and isn't improving as fast as you'd like. You're deciding which impulse you want to act on."

 _*Yeah… wait, also the ultimatum.*_

"You made two opposing promises as well. One is a promise that he will succeed, and the other is a threat to elimination... I understand~"

She yawned just as the elevator hit the ground floor and the doors slid open. Chizuru stepped out and began marching toward the main doors of her empty building. The clacking of her heels echoed loudly throughout the three storey grand lobby. She huffed and chastised her fellow 'sacred treasure' over the phone.

"Alright Gammy. Ready to listen?"

 _*uh...Yeah.*_

"Firstly, you keep every promise you make. If your promise means nothing - neither do you. Got it?"

She didn't wait for an affirmative.

"Secondly, you're an idiot if you think your little friend won't have his ups and downs during the first week of training. I've trained hundreds of employees, and making mistakes during week one isn't just normal - It's expected. That's not a legitimate reason to chastise someone, let alone fire them. Do you hear me?"

 _*Really?*_

"Yes! Really. So with that out of the way - the remaining issue is the Ivory Coast thing. Yes?"

There was a long moment where Iori didn't speak. It seemed like he was seriously mulling over things. It was obvious from his outlook that he had only ever worked with professionals in their fields. He had never needed to train someone from the ground up. Chizuru suddenly felt the urge to meet this _Howard._ It took serious mettle to withstand a month of Iori's ' _training'_ \- which was likely just being screamed at nonstop. She would try and convince Iori to keep his little student - at least until she met him.

 _*Guess so. But that's a hell of a problem! I don't understand why anyone would lie to me. I think I've been very forthcoming… I wouldn't lie to myself.*_

Forthcoming? Chizuru almost laughed. Kyo always liked to tease Iori for being dumb - but in reality, his strange behavior didn't actually stem from a lack of intelligence. His complete lack of interpersonal skills were rooted in his personality. He didn't care about others enough to have either shame or self awareness, and he possessed exactly zero empathy for anyone. It was no mystery why he might not know how to prepare someone for a highly stressful and highly public position, since he himself would never have felt that pressure firsthand.

Chizuru shook her head, clacked her way out of the building, and took a moment to enjoy the cool evening air. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply before responding. The limousine was a couple of paces ahead. She made her way towards it.

"Gammy, have I ever told you that you're not very perceptive?"

 _*... yes?*_

"Why do you think Mr... _Howard_ lied to you?"

 _*I told you that I don't know. Does the reason matter?*_

"Of course it does. Ah-" He tried to interrupt her. "Don't talk. Listen. Now let me remind you of what you just said. You said you ' _can't imagine why Mr. Howard lied about digging up information about you',_ and ' _He got super scared, and insisted you told him classified details while inebriated.'_ Think for a moment. Put two and two together."

Chizuru could hear the gears turning in his head. Her driver came around and opened the car door for her. She stepped in and, with a thud, was cut off from the noises of the city.

 _*...He has no reason to be scared of me. That's ridiculous.*_

"Is that what you think? Have you spoken to Riot?"

 _*... Riot didn't hurt him. He just ate some curtains.*_

"You ate curtains."

 _*... yes…*_

 _"..."_

 _Agh, Dammit. Well Fuck, Kagura! What am I supposed to do? I'm just trying to train someone to replace me in this band. I'm not looking to tell my life's story!*_

Chizuru closed her eyes and sighed while Iori muttered to himself at the other end of the line. When he finally calmed down, she addressed him with no little exasperation in her voice.

"I know that. But now _Mr. Howard_ isn't lying for no reason. In fact, he has every reason to _hide_ that he's doing research on you. IKARI knows you, and so do the Heavenly Kings. It's possible they let some stray fact slip - and it made your employee raise his defenses. That's my theory."

Iori remained silent. Chizuru continued.

"So now, perhaps you're less inclined to sack someone who feels they need to lie to preserve their own life - from you no less. I'm sure he doesn't want to, but he feels trapped and reacts accordingly. Does this sound plausible?"

 _*I suppose.*_

Chizuru put on her authoritative voice. She was quite proud of her conclusion. Iori was listening keenly.

"So this is how I would go about it. Forget about the classified info. Don't bring it up anymore. Instead focus on your work. Keep your promises, both of them. If he messes up your next performance, fire him… but you sit him down, and _make sure_ he doesn't fail. Go through every line with him - or whatever you musicians do - and please, for the love of god, do it without screaming your head off."

 _*How is that supposed to help?*_

Chizuru was getting tired. Home was a couple of minutes away, and she was eager to finish this conversation and head to bed.

"It'll help, because it shows that you care. All employees need, is to believe the boss cares about them. Trust me… And I know you actually do care because firstly, you haven't killed him, and secondly, you're conflicted over this issue at all. Follow my directions, okay? And bring him to meet me when you come to Japan."

 _*Oh… alright.*_

"What's his full name?"

 _*Rock Howard*_

Chizuru actually startled and kicked her briefcase against the driver's seat. The driver looked back, and she motioned at him to ignore her. She narrowed her eyes as she spoke into the phone.

"Geese's son!?"

 _*No. Terry adopted him.*_

Dull as always.

"Yes, but… alright. Bring him to see me, okay?"

 _*Sure. And thanks, Kagura.*_

"Haah… Good night Gammy."

* * *

 _U guis never seen the devilmom be noice before huh?_

 _She;s an angel_

 _and she think;s her bby is a little bit dumbass_


	41. DAD

_Terry is Hunky dad_

 _Yash chill._

* * *

 _*Brrrrr*_

By nine in the morning, Southtown was already bright, sunny and bustling with life. The cafes had been open since 7, diners were packed, and food stands had lines full of people tapping their feet and eyeing their watches. The city was awake and alive, and normally, Terry Bogard would be up and about as well.

 _*Brrrrr*_

However, today… this whole week actually, Terry found himself waking _much_ later than usual. Rock typically woke him up at around 7 am with breakfast before he headed to school or work, but with the teenager currently on the other side of the globe - there was nobody to demand Terry to be conscious at a reasonable hour. Nine o'clock found him happily snoozing away on his favorite couch to the tune of the morning news. He'd been out late with Mary last night, an-

 _*Brrrrr*_

What was that… ugh. It sounded like his cellphone. Terry took a quick inventory of everyone he knew, and came to the conclusion that there was nobody who should be calling for anything urgent. He'd check his messages in an hour. For now. He really needed his sleep.

 _*Click.*_

The phone stopped ringing, and Terry drifted further back into unconsciousness. It was probably a salesperson anyways-

 _*Brrrrr-*_

 _For god's sake…_

Terry grunted and rolled upright to sit on his couch. He rubbed his eyes, pushed his long hair back and made a grab for his buzzing phone on the coffee table. His eyes were bleary, so it took him a moment to make out the caller ID.

 _Rock?_

He picked up.

"Hey, Rocky?" He tried to suppress a yawn, but failed. "What's up."

 _*Dad?*_

Rock didn't sound good. Although the phone signal wasn't fantastic, the boy's distress was clear. Terry forgot his fatigue and fell into 'Dad mode'. His voice was full of concern.

"Are you okay buddy? What happened?"

Rock started babbering. Terry kicked his brain into gear.

 _*Dad! ugh... Dad, I messed up. I dunno what I'm gonna do now- he's gonna fire me, and he's all mad because I lied, and I messed up on stage, and Shermie told me all this horrible stuff. Nobody tells me anything until now, and when they finally do, everything blows up and-*_

"… Hey, hey… calm down, okay? Take it slow."

He heard Rock take a few long breaths. Terry took the opportunity to pull on a shirt and walk over to the kitchen for some water. With Rock gone, Terry had fallen back into his old eating habits. A quick glance across the counter was a shameful reminder that he had been subsisting off _only_ McDonald's for the past few days. He'd better clean up before Rock got home. The kid would definitely start fussing.

"Alright, are we calm?"

 _*Yeah...Yeah I'm fine.*_

"Good. Okay. Tell me where are you right now."

Rock had the habit of overthinking things. He had a delicate psyche and was easily perturbed by rapid changes in environment. Typically, he didn't do well in stressful situations, and Terry, knowing this, had begun to worry for him. A couple of days ago, he had been so stressed he had gotten physically sick - and that incident only served to confirm Terry's fears that this tour was _really_ going to challenge him.

 _*...I-I'm back in the hotel room.*_

"Right. Okay."

But Rock was an adult now, and he needed to go experience the world. He was chasing his dreams right now - so who was Terry to stop him? The most Terry could do now, was to support him from afar… _and making sure his current chaperone was behaving._

"So, is Iori treating you alright? Is he feeding you? What did you have for dinner?"

 _*He's gonna fire me dad! I messed up!*_

Terry frowned, then suppressed the urge to ask about Rock's job security. Obviously that was a touchy point, so Terry was going to ease into it. Rock tended to be mellow and logical until he got overwhelmed. When _that_ happened, he broke down and flew off the handle faster than anyone Terry knew.

"Yes, okay, but did you eat?"

 _*Uh, yeah.*_

"What did you eat?"

Terry could hear Rock intentionally slowing his breath.

 _*I-I just had buffet with Seirah.*_

"Seirah?"

 _*Oh… she's this girl I met. She's a… a fan.*_

Terry chuckled. Looks like Rock had calmed down enough to be embarrassed about his lady-friends. That was good, but Terry was interested in getting a status update as to how Iori was treating his son.

"Okay, okay. Well, I trust she's a nice girl. Bring her to meet me someday. Did they have anything good? Where are you now - Hong Kong still, right?"

 _*Yeah, we leave for Shanghai tomorrow. The buffet was good. I had about a pound of orange chicken.*_

"I thought orange chicken was an American thing."

 _*They were actually serving it in the foreign food section.*_

"Really, huh? I suppose they had to import it from the states. It's technically foreign - right?"

Rock gave him a forced laugh. It wasn't a very good joke. He still seemed shaky, but had calmed down considerably. Terry exhaled through his nose, and wished he had something more clever to say.

"So, Rock. What's going on with you and Iori?"

 _*Oh…*_ Rock paused and sighed. His voice was downcast. _*I'm kind of in trouble.*_

"Trouble? Like how." Terry narrowed his eyes. "Did that psycho threaten you?"

 _*Oh, No - well, he threatened to fire me. Not what you're thinking. He didn't try to hurt me. Not yet at least.*_

Terry's voice was warning.

"What do you mean, not yet? Do you have a reason to think he might hurt you?"

Rock was extremely hesitant. When he finally spoke, he sounded strange - even scared.

 _*I… I think Boss has a lot of secrets, Dad. There's stuff I know that I'm not supposed to - and I think I might be in serious trouble because of it. Shermie told me Iori might kill me if he finds out.*_

"...What?"

That was a loaded statement. Terry frowned and considered how he was going to attack it.

"Iori? Sure - he's no angel, but… I dunno Rocky."

 _*Yeah, well… I just want your opinion.*_

"Oh...sure."

Terry cast his mind back. Over the years, he hadn't made particular effort to get to know Iori Yagami. The man was universally intolerable, and pretty much hated everyone he met. However, Terry felt had a basic idea of who Iori was, and he _knew_ the man was no schemer. He was loudly and publicly threatening people all the time, so it was very unlikely Iori was actively trying to hide anything. For him to resort to extreme measures - such as ' _killing everyone who found his secret'_ was so out of character, it might as well be an impossibility. Iori just didn't seem to care enough about other people to be concerned about his reputation.

"Well, if you ask me - I that doesn't really sound like him. I mean, the guy isn't too private about his stuff. Kyo told me he posts his nudes directly to the internet... Don't google it."

Rock made a weird snorting noise. Terry had a chuckle at Iori's expense. He wasn't actually sure if this was true or not, but he wasn't about to confirm it.

After a moment, they resumed their conversation.

"Anyways, what is this 'secret' that you're not supposed to know? Can you tell me?"

 _*Ugh… okay, hold on.*_

There was some shuffling, a door closed, a squeaky shower handle turned open. The noise of running water filled the background, and Rock got really close to the receiver before he spoke. He was taking this really seriously.

 _*... Okay, I'll tell you, but please don't repeat this to anyone, okay? I don't think Iori knows yet - he said he didn't care about the Ivory Coast thing, but maybe he does. I… well honestly I'm just playing it safe, okay?*_

"Uh, sure Rock." Terry didn't quite believe that the situation was as grave as Rock was making it out to be. Chances were that Iori was simply sending him mixed messages - and was actually completely unaware any of this was happening. It was very likely that Rock was overthinking things.

Rock cleared his throat, and started mouth breathing an entire essay.

 _*So Shermie told me that Iori works with IKARI and likes to kill people. Apparently he destroyed NESTS all on his own, and is pretty much a sick murderer. I don't know if I should believe her, Dad… I mean, In theory - yeah, he can probably kill me - but every old lady in a car can do that too. I get the feeling he doesn't actually want to hurt anyone - but at the same time, I'm kinda on edge because of the IKARI thing... Do you get what I'm saying?*_

Terry walked back over to the couch and slumped into it. He furrowed his brow. He heard that Iori had killed Vice and Mature, but that was obviously false, because the secretaries showed up to almost every KOF tournament. He got taken over by Orochi that one time and nearly killed Kyo and Shingo, and he also beat up Billy and the Ninja man pretty badly too. However, nobody died - and everyone had made a full recovery.

Terry sighed.

"Yeah - Sure. Your boss _is_ dangerous, but contrary to what you might expect, he hasn't really done too much. I can count the people he's hospitalized on one hand. I don't think he's a serial killer. I also doubt that he'd even work with Commander Heidern. I mean, I can hardly believe he can work with anyone…. Who did you hear this from, anyways? Was it… uh ' _Sherry'_?"

 _*Shermie, She has red hair and has bangs over her eyes. I don't know if you know her, but she's part of Iori's rival band. The news said they had died sometime ago but they seem pretty alive to me. I don't think they're lying, but I don't really believe them either.*_

Wait… Terry had heard that name before. Red hair? Bangs? Was it during a tournament? Hm… he needed something to jog his memory. He kept probing for details. Rock didn't seem to mind either way. It looks like he just needed someone to talk to.

"They? What do you mean they died."

 _*Oh, her and Yashiro. Iori called them zombies once. I don't know if he was just insulting them or not.*_

 _Shermie, Yashiro…_ That sounded familiar… hmmm… there were three members to a team, right? Who was the las- wait! _Chris! CYS! Holy shit!_ Terry's voice was urgent.

"Rock, are you talking about CYS?!"

Rock was nonchalant, as if he were talking about one of his friends, and _not_ some of the worst religious terrorists in recent memory. Evidently, he thought this tangent wasn't pertinent to their main topic of discussion, and answered flippantly.

 _*Oh, so you do know them. Yeah, Shermie was the one who told me about Boss - and she said that I'd better keep this a secret or Iori's gonna slit my throat. That's why I'm all nervous...But I'm not sure if I believe her though, that one incident after the Africa seems to corroborate the story… Agh, I don't really know what to think."_

Now Terry was the one panicking. He didn't know the whole story, but being a KOF veteren meant lots of information came to him through the grapevine. CYS had been responsible for the whole Orochi Resurrection spectacle seven or eight years back. They had apparently died in the process, but humanity's survival was in danger because of those three. Was Rock seriously in the company of Orochi followers?

"Oh my god, Rock. Why were you even talking to her?

Rock didn't catch the urgency in Terry's tone of voice.

 _*Uh… why? She's our pianist, and she does everyone's makeup - except for Athena's. I mean, I don't really like her much because she is like… 'super' sexual. She grabbed my butt a few times, and I think she gets a kick out of it. Luckily, Yashiro is a lot cooler than she is. He's really amazing on the guitar too. I-*_

Terry was hunched over and was simultaneously holding the phone against his ear, and his head in hands. For the past week, all he had been concerned about was Iori being a tremendous asshole, and giving his son a nervous breakdown. Terry had no idea that CYS were in this picture as well. Those three had almost ended the world, and… How the hell could Iori allow CYS to participate in this? They were _dangerous,_ and not only that, CYS and the Sacred Treasures were supposably bitter enemies. _I need to talk to the psycho…_

Terry blurted out - interrupting Rock mid sentence.

"Rock. You need to come home."

There was a pause. Rock seemed to sense something was wrong. He spoke cautiously.

 _* Huh? Wait?...But, Why?*_

"Rock. Those guys are dangerous. Listen to me. Come home."

From his tone of voice, it was clear that Rock didn't want to leave. It was also clear he wasn't listening too carefully.

 _*What do you mean dangerous? Iori never did anything bad to me. I thought we've been through this! Besides, I haven't been fired yet, and I don't wanna be. I get paid a lot too, and… ugh. I mean Dad - I want your help to fix this! I don't want to just leave because I feel partly responsible for this mess. I just want some advice, okay?*_

"CYS is the dangerous one, not Iori."

Rock huffed at him.

 _*Well, that doesn't really change much - right? Nothing's happened so far, and Yashiro's cool. Shermie... is kinda awful, but not worse than Boss, I guess.*_

Terry sucked on his lip. Rock gave the appearance of being timid and easily swayed - and he was, actually - but once he had set his mind on something, he could be surprisingly stubborn. There was no way to talk him out of anything over the phone. Terry took a quick moment to restrategize. Iori wasn't actually dangerous, but CYS? _No way._

"Okay… okay fine. Then listen to me, and take my advice. CYS are really bad people. Don't talk to them. Don't listen to them. You can just forget about whatever Shermie told you. I wouldn't believe a word she says. Stay as far away as you can from them, alright?"

 _*But… uh... Okay?*_ A pause. Rock clearly wasn't as interested in CYS as Terry was. _*So, you don't think Iori is-*_

Terry interrupted him.

"Iori? No way. He's a celebrity - he can't get away with murder. Have you seen him actually attack anyone?"

Terry dearly hoped Rock's answer was ' _no'_. He was eager to go back to their main topic.

 _*No, but… but… what about the IKARI thing? He was in the Ivory Coast with IKARI, he admitted to it himself.*_

"Then just ask him. You told me he's never done you wrong, right?"

 _*Well, uh… yeah. I guess...*_

Rock was sounding a bit downcast. Obviously they weren't addressing the topic he was concerned about. Terry was a bit too panicked about CYS to realize Rock was feeling ignored.

"Right. Good. Back to the topic - _Please_ stay away from CYS, okay? They're dangerous, and they're serious trouble."

Rock's tone was disbelieving.

 _*... Alright?... what do you mean by 'serious trouble'?*_

Terry deliberately didn't clarify. He reasoned that it was best not to tell Rock exactly what sort of terrifying people CYS were. That was sure to stress the boy out all over again, and _that_ might get him in trouble. Unfortunately, although Terry's intentions were good - this withholding of information was ostracizing his son even further.

"Trouble means trouble. Also, ask Iori to kick Shermie and Yashiro out of the band. Get rid of them. I don't want you associating with those people. They-... well, anyways. Just trust me, alright?"

 _*... Ask Iori to... wait, but Dad - Yashiro is the lead guitarist. I'll be too nervous without him. If he wasn't here earlier today, then I would have screwed up the concert for sure. If I don't do well in the next concert, then I'm gonna get fired-*_

"Then get fired!"

Terry had raised his voice until he was nearly yelling. He was a little frustrated that Rock didn't seem to be taking his warnings seriously. He never yelled at his son, so Rock was shocked into silence. When he finally replied, he sounded exasperated.

 _*... Dad! I'm not doing that! ...Ugh - why did I even call you!*_

 _Ah… shit._

Terry quickly calmed down, and tried to rectify the situation. It seemed like Rock was just about ready to hang up on him.

"Okay, okay… sorry, Rock."

 _*... Dad I'm not leaving, and I need Yashiro's help on stage.*_

His voice was defiant. Terry sighed. If he couldn't convince his son to leave the band, or otherwise get rid of CYS - at least he had to be safe. Interestingly enough, ' _by Iori's side'_ was probably the safest place one could be when dealing with the Heavenly Kings. Apparently Orochi had been sealed away by the Sacred Treasures, and that severely weakened the follower's powers. Nevertheless, even weakened, they were probably formidable - especially if they could rise from the dead. According to rumors, Iori had fought them at full strength before. Dealing with them now probably wouldn't be an issue.

"Fine… okay then…Since you're staying - then stick close to bossman, alright? He'll protect you."

 _*Dad… I don't think that's necessary. I've spent more time with Shermie and Yashiro than with Iori this trip. I'll try not to hang out with them, but I honestly don't think you need to be worried.*_

"Rock! Can you take me seriously? Please-"

There was a long silence. Terry felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Whatever this verbal exchange was, he had come out the loser.

 _*... Yeah, okay. Dad, look. I've had a long day. I think I'm gonna go to sleep. I'll talk to you later.*_

"Rock, Promi-"

 _*Click*_

* * *

 _Yeah well Yag is actually kinda a serial murderer lmao (in a few years after this tho)._

 _And Shermie didn't lie at all._

 _Shermie and Yash are sorta evil tho._

 _Terry isn't as good as Devilmom at this :(_

 _Right now:_

 _Athena - Rock did boo boo during performance. She's not happy; Rock: scary purple lady who might turn me inside out_

 _Kenosu - Doesn't speak english; Rock: das Athena's bitch_

 _Iori - boi imma whip u into shape u lil shit; Rock: He may or may not murder me... but he deffo will fire me._

 _Shemie/yash - bout to ruin this man's whole career; Rock: we frens_

 _Whip - Why are you so dumb; Rock - pls don't leave me, everyone is going to kill me_

 _Terry - oh god, I fked up. Rock - Dad is consipiracy theory?!_

 _My poor baby duckling T^T U all alone now! (except for whip, but he's still not too comfy around her)_

 _Stuff gets infintely worse don u worry_


	42. IN LAWS

_OC Chappie._

 _Big exposition time._

* * *

Should you walk into the residence of Mr. and Ms. Kam, you would assume them to be a happily married Chinese couple doing their best to make it in the big city. Ms. Kam was a wispy lady. Tall, thin, but somehow her constant smile made her warm and soft. She was the youngest of her many siblings, and hovered about her early thirties. Her husband was a handsome man with a stern and calm demeanor. Although he had perfect vision, he insisted on wearing glasses. He felt they made him look kinder.

Today, Ms. Kam was sitting on the living room couch, watching Korean Soap Operas. Like many women her age, she had been sucked into the never ending abyss of ' _one more episode'._

 _*Yes Boss. We have a connection from inside his musical tour.*_

Normally, Mr. Kam would have complained and insisted that she do something other than watch TV. Although he was the spearhead of their family… ' _business'_ , the success of their operation involved the participation of husband and wife together. Ms. Kam was generally very good about helping her husband - but she was currently eight and a half months pregnant, and was in no shape to do any sort of socializing.

 _*No, it's a good one. One of the band members. There's no risk of ambush either - and we'll have a hostage.*_

Ms. Kam yawned and stretched, careful not to jostle the baby too much. At this point, it had become difficult for her to do anything on her own. She was a petite woman, so the baby unbalanced her frame significantly. It wasn't an issue for her husband, though. He didn't mind helping her roll out of bed every morning. In fact, he was nearly as excited as she was for the child - A boy. They'd affectionately referred to their unborn child as - Xiao Baozi. Their little meat bun.

 _*Don't worry. The kid's from out of country. No connections whatsoever besides for that Jap Bastard.*_

Despite her current physical situation, Ms. Kam did have urgent business to attend to. Her favorite nephew - the son of her oldest brother - was coming into town soon, and she was eager to meet with him. Kensou was a bit of a strange character, and had been more or less shunned by his extended family because of his love. The family hadn't been happy with _her_ marriage either, so she and her nephew tended to stick together.

 _*Our allies from inside the band will be doing work for us. They'll be facilitating the acquisition of the boy - and also in the conflict if stuff gets hairy. Looks like they have a score to settle with him as well.*_

Mr. Kam sounded pretty excited over the phone. He mentioned that some stuff was happening, and if things worked out, he was in for a big promotion with the company. Ms. Kam knew exactly what her husband did for a living. Perhaps it was that element of danger that drew her to him. She found it dangerous and sexy - but her family thought otherwise. His profession was the reason her family didn't approve of him - but she truly loved him, and he truly loved her. What else could she have done? She listened to him talking on the phone in the background of her show.

 _*Yup, that's the plan. You can be sure the Yakuza brat will come looking for him, and the gang hasn't got power in Peking - he'll probably be alone. Yes, tomorrow.*_

Sounded like some poor sod was gonna get hit. Well, her husband wasn't really in that arm of the business. He moreso ran the ' _tax'_ collection part of the company. If he was getting involved with this, it must be big. Ms. Kam briefly noted that her husband wouldn't be helping her meet Kensou. That wasn't a problem. She'd just ask one of her husband's subordinates to escort her on his behalf.

 _*Lend me some of your men, and I'll bring his head to you. It'll be a victory to herald the birth of my baby boy. Haha…yes. Thanks Boss. Health and good fortune!*_

*Click.*

He was off the phone. Ms. Kam yelled over her Korean Drama.

"Hubby!?"

He appeared in the doorway. He looked quite pleased with himself. His glasses balanced crookedly on his nose, and he offered a rare smile.

"Hubby, can I have Brother Lim tomorrow? I want to go meet Kensou for lunch at the noodle shop. You know, the one next to the bank."

"Of course, hun."

* * *

ALLL RAIIGHT


	43. BIG D ENERGY

_stuff will start soon I promise_

* * *

The one good thing about touring with Iori Yagami, was that you flew first class everywhere. Shermie guessed that it was mostly a selfish decision, since their lead wasn't a small man by most standards. Sure, he looked positively scrawny next to the likes of Yashiro or Tizoc, but in the end, even he wouldn't tolerate economy size seats.

 _He's not bad, that Yagami…_

So Shermie was appreciative - especially because First Class brought her whatever drinks she wanted. They had just boarded, and hadn't yet taken air - but she had already polished off an entire bottle of rum. The stewardesses were watching her as if expecting her to keel over any moment. Shermie relished the attention. There were certain pros to not being... _alive._

She waved a stewardess over, handed her Yagami's credit card, and bought more hard liquor. It took a great deal of alcohol for Shermie to feel the buzz. She guessed it had to do with her liver being _actually_ dead. Neither did her blood circulate - so naturally it took a lot for the rum to hit her brain. At this point, she wasn't even slurring!

"Right here, mademoiselle. Babe, you want anything?"

"...Mmm?"

"Babe?"

Yashiro pulled out his earbuds and pulled his eyes away from his car show to look at her. He looked a bit annoyed that she had disturbed him, so Shermie rolled her eyes and dismissed him. If he wanted something, he could get it on his own. Yashiro hadn't been as enthusiastic as she was about ' _Operation Mafia'_ but after some coaxing, he lent his full support. He had agreed to keep Iori occupied while Shermie and her Triad contacts nabbed Rock, lured Whip away, and zapped the girl into a black smear on some warehouse floor.

 _Seirah flies in tomorrow afternoon - if Rocky can be believed. Gives Kam plenty of time to run the operation tomorrow…_

Shermie stretched, put her liquor down, and glanced across the aisle. The miserable idol and her miserable boyfriend (who was looking especially depressed today) were busy looking sad and ignoring each other. Shermie wasn't exactly sure what had caused the schism between Athena and her dog, and franky she didn't care much. She was just happy that they were upset. Athena seemed to have noticed her, and made a face. Shermie couldn't contain her giggles.

 _Oohh~ She's glaring at me. Hehe._

The other star of the show was sitting directly behind Yashiro, and was _seriously_ going over basic music theory with his prodigy student. Unlike usual, where he popped his sleeping pills and passed out immediately, he was very much awake, and counting beats with an unwilling Rock Howard.

"Alright, What note is that?"

 _"Boss, come on. I know how to sightread."_

"F - A - C, so that's a D. One-and, two-..."

Rock had been more upset than normal this morning. The last couple of days, he had distanced himself from everyone save Yashiro and the IKARI bitch girlfriend. Apparently he and Yagami had had a bit of a talk last night. Shermie had feared the relationship would be repaired - but her fears were for naught. She had no idea what they spoke about, but Rock seemed no better off than yesterday.

 _Well, Iori will be busy tomorrow anyways… he'll be running around all day. I just need Yashiro to keep him from getting suspicious… he's an idiot anyways, shouldn't be too hard._

From the look on Rock Howard's face, it looked like he would rather be in the cargo hold, rather than boxed between the airplane hull and his serial killer boss. Iori had demanded Rock - who had desperately begged everyone on the team to swap seats with him - spend the next four hours reviewing every last semiquaver in Athena's sheet music under his tutelage, and wasn't taking no for an answer.

" _I know it's a D, I know the entire thing, okay? Look - Bb, D, F. major chord. We don't need to do the whole thing."_

"No, Major seventh." Iori vocalized a Bb, which by itself was a terrible representation of the chord. It was obvious he didn't really know how to teach this sort of thing - not that Rock needed it. "Okay, next, stanza 112. "

" _Ugh! Seriously? This is a waste of time."_

"Dead serious. What's D? Sing it. Are you in tune? Last time I checked, you had perfect pitch."

 _"I know what a D is, boss… I'm not singing, come on! I'll do better next time, I promise."_

"You damn right are gonna do better next time, and I'm gonna make sure of it. So stop bitching. Give me D."

 _"... Ugh, okay okay… can you not talk so loud?"_

Shermie heard the passengers sitting across from the on-flight-music-lesson snicker. Sure, if you had a shit sense of humor and didn't know your music theory, you might find all this talk about 'D' mildly amusing. Rock seemed to realize it, and quickly obliged so they could move on to F#, and stop getting looks from the stewardesses.

"Your D's on point. Good. Do you know the fingering?"

 _"Boss!... You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?_

"What do you mean? You don't know D fingering?"

 _"You-... Ugh. Nevermind."_

Over the past twenty minutes, Rock had gotten too annoyed to be afraid, and was dishing out that low quality snark. Iori was being unexpectedly patient and hadn't yet resorted to hollering his head off. Shermie found that a little bit concerning. She was hoping Iori would cut Rock out even further to minimize the chances that he showed up to that fancy warehouse Kam had sectioned off. Sure, the Triad wanted him - but they had only seen the Yakuza heir battle in tournaments. There, he was a performer - fighting for entertainment. If Iori actually showed up to save a hostage - something he probably had done for IKARI before - then there was a snowball's chance in hell the Triad would come out intact. If that man could be crushed by numbers, he would have died a thousand times already.

But right now, the hellhound was trying to make Rock read sheet music. It was a good idea too - since the duckling was _fucking_ terrible during yesterday's performance. He was so off pitch, that Shermie swore he was just playing random notes. It was so bad, it was even throwing her off. By the end of the performance, Shermie, who never felt embarrassment, was even feeling shame.

 _Thank God the audience is tone deaf - because they didn't seem to mind… feel bad for that Yagami though… I heard Athena chewed him to bits last night._

Shermie was well aware that their little conversation was most likely the reason Rock was all sorts of distracted. Sure, she wanted to split that duo up, but only so she could get at Whip. She had nothing against the duckling, but then again, she wasn't really for him either. He was just collateral damage. Nothing more, nothing less.

Still, she wasn't appreciating this aspect of the fallout of her influence, but wasn't conscientious enough not to complain about it. Shermie knew that Athena had already given Iori an earful because of Rock's performance, so she decided she definitely was going to pile on too. Maybe it'd make Rock's benefactor a little less _'bene-ficial'_.

 _"Boss I'll play it during rehearsal. I promise I know it."_

"No, shut up, Howard. I'm paying for you, so you do what I say. Read. What's that?"

" _F#"_

"Right, good. The Bb is a broken chord, so hold your D so it leads into the next stanza. Afterwards, we've got two beats where you can rest. Then stanza 114."

* * *

 _When your boss compliments ur D_

Thanks yag

 _Jk, he has no idea._


	44. Malamien

_I never take this long to write chapters._

 _And I'm not even happy about this chapter._

 _:/_

* * *

China - despite being a huge country composed of a myriad of cultures, was truly Kensou's home. Although the streets of Shanghai were a far cry from his hometown down in Guangzhou, the slight rudeness of the waitstaff, the streams of (abiet accented) Chinese that flowed around the restaurant… Yeah. _Home._

He and his heavily pregnant aunt were sitting across from one another in a spicy noodle restaurant in the heart of Shanghai this sunny morning. It was a small family owned place, complete with blinding white tile, horrible buzzing fluorescent white lights, and Beijing opera playing from the radio in the corner. Athena, or anyone on the tour for that matter, would never step foot in this place - but Kensou knew that the best food wasn't always dressed up in some fancy restaurant. He had never eaten here before, but his Aunt had proven her taste in restaurants time and time again.

"-ugh, Ken, you're lucky you never have to be pregnant. I'm telling you, I can hardly get up in the morning, this baby is so heavy…"

"Haha, well it will be over soon, right Auntie? When is he due?"

"Heh, another two weeks? I'm excited, but also… eugh. Hubby said he's been reserving a bed in the best hospital in Shanghai for me, but still…"

The food arrived, and the air became spicy and smelled heavily of sesame oil and chives. Kensou dug in and listened as his aunt chattered and fanned her noodles. He felt bad that he was so relaxed here. Back with the tour, he'd been so high strung, you could shave cheese on his nerves. Sure, Iori made him crazy - but that was expected, and Kensou only needed to spend a few hours per day in the company of that lunatic. Unfortunately, Athena was also driving him to the brink of snapping, and _she_ was with him almost constantly. Her behavior had gotten worse ever since _Rock Howard_ butchered the last performance smiling. She took out some of her frustration on Iori, but she could only vent so much yelling. Kensou got the physical part.

 _She threw me against a wall… urgh. I'm still sore._

Frankly, coming out here to get a break from _her_ was like a breath of fresh air. That environment had become so toxic to him, he wanted nothing more than to spend the whole day wandering around Shanghai and avoiding the _supposed_ love of his life. He was even down to listen to his long winded aunt ramble on about her unborn child to avoid spending time with his girlfriend.

" _My Xiao Baozi has been kicking too! He's big and strong, and I'm pretty excited. Me and hubby have already picked out what private school he's going to, and college, and..."_

Kensou smiled and nodded, not really listening. It seemed that Aunt Kam didn't really care if he was paying attention or not. She obviously hadn't been out and about too much since her pregnancy neared completion, and she just needed to talk and get stuff off her chest. One might say, she could just call up some of her lady-friends, but Kensou knew that because her family business was… _sketchy,_ not many normal chinese housewives were willing to befriend her. After all, what if they accidentally offended her? The fact her husband was a high ranking member of the Triad was enough to put _everyone_ on edge.

"Auntie, that name… surely-?"

"Ohhh, nonono, don't be silly - I know I keep calling him _Baozi_ , but we just couldn't decide on a name yet! I know we only have a couple of months left, but I couldn't find anything I like! Aiya… anywho - how about you Ken? How has your Japanese girlfriend been? Better?"

Kensou cringed and rubbed the back of his neck. His Aunt, thus far, had become his _only_ confidant concerning his problems with Athena. His parents thought he was a terrible son for abandoning them and the business they had built to chase his love - which he admitted, he was. His friends? His pursuit of Athena's heart had been so all consuming he hardly knew a person he could call as good friend. Sure, KOF meant he made tons of acquaintances, but almost all of them saw him as nothing more than an extension of Athena. He was glad he had Aunt Kam.

"Oh, not really. It's been worse lately..." He sighed into his noodles. "I just need a good break. We didn't talk to each other at all yesterday. I mean, she just vents at me… she isn't even mad at anything I did, but I still take the punches."

Aunt Kam furrowed her brow. Her face went serious.

"Oh, Ken… I know you don't like to hear it, but she's not good for you! You need to find a nice girl, and a job for that matter… you mentioned that you might want to take a job with my husband, right? He's in the finance division, but the Tria-... _ehm,_ the 'company' always likes people with the … fighting mentality."

Kensou suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"You know what, I'll even let you live in one of our apartments here in Shanghai. I think we have a couple of empty ones near city center that we haven't found tenants for. As long as you take care of the place, then I'm sure it's no problem."

Kensou sighed and listened. His aunt always tried to solve his problems - that was her personality - and honestly, Kensou just wanted someone to listen. Regardless, she was the only person who seemed to care about his plight at all, so he took what he could get.

"I'll be sure to ask hubby about it, is that okay with you Ken? He also has a lot of connections in the company, just name a position, and I'm sure he can get it for you. I know you've only met him briefly, but this is nothing for him. Really. And he'll definitely help you, okay? I wanted him to come today to meet you, but he's busy right now."

"Oh, Mr. Kam usually goes everywhere with you. Is he in a work meeting right now?"

Mrs. Kam was always eager to ramble, and Kensou was eager to draw the attention off his conflict with Athena. He asked the question just to change the topic, and his aunt jumped on it.

"Hubby? Oh, he was really excited about something or another… ' _Taking out the competition'_ was it? Something to that effect. I wasn't really paying attention, but I'm happy for him. I overheard him chatting with his boss about it, and..."

Kensou yawned and slurped down the rest of his lunch. He was only halfway listening. He murmured absentmindedly.

"Oh, I hope he stays safe… he needs to come home to be a dad, right?"

Ms. Kam chuckled.

"Oh, hubby knows that. I made him promise me to be extra careful - not that he ever isn't. He's an accountant by heart, you know. And he won't make mistakes. Anyways, you don't need to feel bad about it, since those _filthy japanese scumbags_ will absolutely deserve everything coming for them _. Have you heard about how they work?!_ They burn people alive, and saw them in half if they don't cooperate. Typical northern savages. Ah… but enough about that. Do you want another bowl of noodles? You should try this flavour!"

* * *

 _I wanted to write something about Rock and Iori on the way to Shanghai hotel (the previous evening), but for some reason writing is hard? what is lifee_


	45. GAINS

Note: now that Coronavirus is ravaging our Earth, I have time to write insufferable asshole.

 _working from home is weird asf._

* * *

It was 6 in the morning and Rock Howard had woken up early to get some exercise. The hotel was mostly quiet at this hour, and Rock had only encountered a couple of maids (who were busy polishing the wall ornaments) as he wandered about looking for the gym. The tour had taken a significant toll on his body thus far. He'd been eating like garbage. He hadn't been getting enough sleep. He was under nearly continuous stress. He weighed himself this morning and he had lost 7 pounds.

They'd been on tour for a little over a week, and he'd lost _seven pounds_. That was almost a pound a day, and given he wasn't looking particularly ripped- that was _muscle mass_ he was losing. Not fat. Rock wasn't _super_ concerned about his figure. He was more concerned with functionality, specifically tournament-fighting functionality. But hell if he was gonna sit still to wither away on a diet of stress and junk food. No way.

 _Seven pounds of muscle! God._

Rock grimaced as he wandered down yet another ornately decorated hallway in search of something to lift. The carpet was dark red, patterned and too plush. The hallway windows were all heavily curtained, and it was gloomy out. Rock was beginning to think he was in some sort of luxurious maze. It didn't help that every sign was in Chinese, and Rock didn't speak a lick of it. Did so few foreigners come to this place, that they didn't need anything in English?

 _I already hate this country._

Up ahead was a four way fork. There was a gilded sign hanging from the ceiling with Chinese characters ornately printed on it. Rock stopped below it and tried to read it until he went cross eyed. It was a pointless exercise, but he tried it anyways. It made him feel better that he was at least _trying_ to figure out where to go, as opposed to what he was actually doing - which was guessing.

 _Ugh… is there an app that will read this stuff for me?_

Rock huffed, shrugged, and tugged at the towel slung across his neck. He took a few moments to judge which hallway looked the most athletic before turning right and striding with purpose. He briefly considered just running down the hallways to get his exercise, but quickly dismissed the idea. He'd get weird looks from everyone, and maybe get arrested… or something. He had no idea how China worked, and frankly he wasn't very interested in learning their punitive system. He mostly wanted to be home, but he didn't want to bail, and he didn't want to be a scrawny wretch either.

 _Boss also looks terrible… but he always looks terrible. He's off doing setup today I think… I won't have to deal with him._

Last night, Iori had dedicated himself to being as insufferable as possible. They had gone over every note in every song they were planning to play on the airplane - and once they landed, Rock was subject to four more hours of one on one rehearsals with his lunatic employer. He finally was allowed to totter off at midnight, and upon hitting the mattress, he slept like a baby until his alarm woke him. There were many times in the past months where Rock was ' _abosolutely fucking done'_ with Iori Yagami - but last night was one the worst to date.

 _Did I play that badly? Sheesh… I mean, I did miss some notes… but he's probably overreacting. Right?..._

Rock grumbled to himself. He had unintentionally set his mind on a worrisome path and was now mulling over his potentially ruined performance so intensely, he nearly didn't realize he had walked past a sign with a dumbbell on it.

Dumbbell.

Weights meant Gym.

Gym meant a workout and endorphins.

Normally, Rock was never this excited to excercise, but today was different. His body needed it, and his mind needed to soak in some happy chemicals. For him, this trip had been nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster, on adderall. His boss either loved him or hated him - and Rock was convinced that he flip-flopped between those extreme positions on the daily. Whip was cute, strong, funny and probably a vicious dominatrix. Athena had a massive stick up her ass, and she would probably turn him inside out if she heard him say that. Kensou was her bitch, so he was no better. Shermie and Yashiro were the only people who seemed somewhat normal and borderline helpful - but they were dead, and according to his father, supremely dangerous.

 _Well if Dad thinks Boss can take them, isn't Boss the dangerous one? Bleah. Shut up Rocky. No more conspiracies! Let's do some supersets!_

Rock browsed several workout playlists as he slammed his way through the Men's locker room, startling a tattooed man with a pot belly and a pressed suit. Rock didn't pay much attention to the man, but if he did, he would have noticed the man was a textbook Yakuza member.

He also would have noticed the man reaching for the gun under his waistband upon his intrusion. The Yakuza member was obviously guarding the door, and Rock Howard's twin defects of vanity and tunnel vision all but blinded him to the danger he had just stumbled upon.

 _Should I do circuit? Nah… I need to put on some gains. Chest and shoulders today - back if I've got time._

Rock was staring down at his phone when he reached the gym door and shouldered it open. He was seriously conflicted about some of the songs in his chosen playlist. Normally he didn't need music because his gym always had something on the radio, but this hotel gym was going to have Chinese, if anything.

So, if Rock wanted to listen to his native tongue, he was stuck with pre-created lists - 30% of which were actually Iori's tracks. He winced as one started playing, and that terrible voice yelled at him in some foreign language.

" なんてこったい？！Howard!"

 _Ugh, it gets to me even when he's not here… wait… did he just say my name?!_

Rock frowned. That was an anamoly. He stopped in the doorway, plucked out his ear buds and looked up. The gym was small, carpeted - and clearly just some extra room the hotel decided to throw excercise equipment in. It was unremarkable besides for the bench press in the corner, which had one lifter and two extremely well dressed spotters. The spotters had machine guns tucked badly beneath their stiff blazers. One of them was speaking Japanese in a threatening tone, but was quickly drowned out by a much louder, more familiar, and understandable yelling from the red-haired man laying flat on the bench press.

"Howard! My gym. Out!"

Rock huffed, dismayed even having to see his boss today.

"Are you kidding me? There's like ten machi-"

His phrase was cut short by the sharp *ka-chack* of the machine guns being cocked and pointed at him. He was shocked, stunned, offended and a little bewildered. His complaint fizzled off his tongue, and he took a stumbling step back. Iori didn't seem to notice. He continued rambling as per his usual fashion.

"I don't give a damn if there's a (huff) hundred machines here. I don't wanna work out with you. (huff) And you're here on my dime, I fucking own you. (huff) So go away."

The men in suits glanced briefly at each other, and seemed to shrug in resignation. They clearly didn't understand what Iori was saying and continued pointing their guns at the intruder. Rock grimaced.

"O-okay… okay! Can you, uh call off- _(ah!)"_

He was startled as a meaty palm landed on his shoulder and a pistol muzzle was pressed into the back of his neck. His heart dropped and he began to stutter, frozen. He raised his hands and showed his palms. The spotters stared intimidatingly at him for a few moments, before one of them leaned over Iori and began muttering something. The other spotter rolled his eyes.

If Rock didn't have three guns pointed at him, he would also have rolled his eyes.

For a few long moments, Iori was too busy hooking his weights back on the rack to notice his student's predicament. When he finally did, he huffed and didn't even bother sitting up before starting to yell at his… _'bodyguards'._

 _(Put your fucking guns down, or I'll shove them straight up your asses. The brat is mine. Touch him and you die… Oy Kurasawa, get back here and spot me.)_

Rock didn't understand a word, but all the guns were withdrawn and the fat Yakuza man turned him around and escorted him through the door. Iori hollered from his bench.

"If you wanna gym, come back in two hours. You can do whatever you want today, but rehearsal's at eight tomorrow. If you're late-"

The locker room door slammed shut, but Rock could still hear his employer clearly through the walls.

"I'll really kill you. Don't be late. Last chance Howard, take it seriously."

* * *

He's definitely gon be late lmao


	46. A New Adventure

_Adventure Time!_

 _sucks to be duck rn_

* * *

Shermie was in a panic.

She was in charge of planning this entire operation from the field side, and their target, Rock Howard, was nowhere to be found. Iori had headed out half an hour ago with Yashiro in tow. They were undoubtedly going to spend the rest of the day running around the city like a pair of headless chickens, trying to do business with Chinese people while unable to speak Chinese.

So Iori was going to be out of the picture for at least seven or eight hours. With Yashiro babysitting, there was little chance Rock's guardian angel was going to do any guarding.

The problem was Rock's bitch girlfriend. She was flying in at noon today, and it was already 9:30. Shermie had a team of fifteen Triad members hidden throughout the hotel, ready to jump out of the bushes and snatch a duckling away. They had already been waiting two hours and they'd seen neither toe nor tail of Rock Howard. Everyone was getting antsy, and if Shermie didn't give these guys someone to kidnap before noon, they'd definitely cause a ruckus. If Whip showed up to find the place crawling with Mafia members causing a ruckus, she'd probably call in an air strike and skedaddle back to some god-forsaken bunker in Venezuela.

That would derail Shermie's elaborate plan for petty revenge. This was the first thing she had been passionate about for over three years, and hell if she wasn't gonna succeed.

 _It will be so delicious to tear her to pieces..._

Due to her particular predicament, Shermie had a hard time finding motivation. Dying and re-materializing every year meant it was pointless to take on long term projects. She didn't need to eat. She didn't feel pain. She felt no pleasure either (besides for a faint tinge of drunkenness, if she drank enough). Her assets had long gone to probate. Pretty much nothing mattered.

Hell, even avoiding death wasn't a motivator. Two years ago, Iori Yagami had gotten so mad at her that he blew both her and Yashiro into wall-splatters. She was surprised that the only thought that passed through her mind was glee at the prospect of Iori scrubbing her remains off his apartment walls. The next time they came back, they crashed at his place again and she single handedly wiped out his entire liquor cabinet as repayment. To imagine she and Iori Yagami used to be mortal enemies was almost unthinkable.

The very first time they came back from the dead, they were immediately and brutally killed by IKARI. Somehow the mercenary organization had discovered where they would materialize. The second time, they chose to zap in during a thunderstorm, and bummed around in the Bahamas for two weeks before IKARI found and dispatched them.

 _Those dogs! I'll finally get back at them._

The first time it was shocking. The second time was annoying. The third time was rage inducing, and she began bemoaning her perennial immortality. The fourth, Yashiro decided he'd rather be burnt to death than shot full of holes, so they had materialized on Iori Yagami's doorstep fully expecting to spontaneously combust the moment the red-haired lunatic answered the door.

 _Good thing he's lonely._

Contrary to expectation, Iori didn't kill them - or even try to fight them. Maybe he only invited them in because he was hopped up on drugs and had nobody to share the experience with. Perhaps he thought they were hallucinations. Regardless, the three of them drank and argued about music theory and guitar brands until their host passed out on the floor.

Eventually IKARI found out where they were hiding and sent a sniper team to SouthTown. They were killed while the three of them were walking back from Korean Barbeque. Apparently (Shermie was too dead to notice his reaction) - Iori went nuts. Nuts enough that the next time she and Yashiro came back to earth, so long as they hung around Iori, IKARI steered clear.

 _I'm so glad useful idiots exist in this world. No wonder Kagura likes him._

Now that they had immunity from their serial killers, it was time to finally start enjoying life. That was exactly what they did! One thing she still greatly enjoyed was music, and Iori had all the necessary equipment. If he was going on tour, then they tagged along as well. Of course, they demanded payment. They were rival bands and damn good musicians, and besides Iori had too much money for his own good. He obviously needed help burning it, and Shermie was _really good_ at burning money.

 _He should be thanking me, hehe~_

Occasionally Vice and Mature showed up and they were 'the Merry five!' 'The Orochi Enterauge'. 'The Zombie parade.'

Well, more like a merry Orochi four and one grumbling Sacred-Treasure ATM.

 _Poor baby. He really has no friends, huh? Why else did he take us all in?_

Luckily the Pharma Boss didn't mind them, otherwise they'd have to find somewhere else to go. She occasionally demanded blood samples though, which was annoying - but better than the alternative: Cremation.

Shermie sighed and rested her chin in her palm. She was sitting in the hotel lobby with a bottle of Vodka, and watching the hotels rotating doorway through her bangs. Perhaps she should go wandering around the hallways? Perhaps Rock was lost in the hotel? By this time he should have either gone back to his room, or left the building… where could he be?

 _You can't just disappear on me Duckling! I need you for this! Come out, come out~_

She huffed and muttered to herself. The clock said 9:45 and her time was running out. Kam - her triad contact was blowing up her phone, and Rock -who was normally so easy to find - had all but evaporated.

 _Little brat. Ugh… I should have asked Yash to stay. I've never done something like this before..._

Shermie wasn't a plotter.

At least, not violent plotting. Goenitz took care of all that. She was the queen of petty grudges, but typically didn't care for life-and-death vendettas. Hell, She could even forgive murder! Yashiro had killed her once. So had Iori. For that, that had earned themselves a place at the top of her 'bitch list', but when push came to shove, they were both firmly on her _"I probably won't electrocute you"_ list.

Not that she did much electrocuting these days. With Orochi sealed away, her power had waned significantly. Iori could probably take her down without touching her. One measely bullet through the skull destroyed the cerebrum, and that was it. Shermie! The Roaring Lightning! Dead from a sniper shot from two miles out.

Ridiculous.

But bygones were bygones. Shermie was happy to forgive and forget, because frankly, IKARI scared her - just a tad bit. It wasn't as if she and Yash could storm a base. That was suicide, and Yashiro had a strong adversion to killing himself. It was probably one of those things you did only ever did once in your life.

But this time, things were different. This time their target was just one little clone girl, one that Shermie was confident she could handle.

 _Time to die little bitch~_

... because even she, (this patient queen!) had a tipping point. She could forgive murder, but to be offended like this? For a single IKARI gun-bitch to show up and try to kill her _one more time._

Ohh.

That wasn't going to fly.

She had her motivation.

Shermie had been horribly murdered three times by IKARI. It was only fair that she could kill them - at least one of them - as brutally, and for as long as she wanted. This was a golden opportunity. One that Shermie wasn't gonna pass-

 _There!_

The doors rotated, and in came one Rock Howard. He was dripping in sweat and had his towel draped over his head. He was gulping down a soda and tottered slightly as he walked. He was clearly tired from his run.

Shermie surpressed a wry smile and stood up to go greet him. She had two men near the door with tranquilizer darts and she texted them to prepare for capture before stuffing her phone into her cleavage for safekeeping.

"Duckling! _Mon Gars!_ "

He caught sight of her and (contrary to expectation) jogged over. As he got closer, Shermie noticed that he was glancing around the room suspiciously… did he see something?! Shermie played it cool. The tranq group hadn't yet noticed her text message and were animatedly arguing about something. She needed to buy them time.

"Rocky! My boy, what sort of naughty things have you been up-"

"Are the mafia people still here?"

Shermie stopped short and blinked. A thrill of panic scurried through her like electricity. Rock didn't notice and continued explaining. It looked like he was relieved to find someone to share his concerns with. Unfortunately, he had chosen her.

"They kicked me out of the gym. Pointed guns at me. I took off after Boss told them to let me go… he's seriously a Mafia leader?!"

 _Oh…_

She digested the information.

 _Ohhh~ Poor baby. Why do you trust me?_

Shermie pinched herself to keep from giggling. Rock was too busy ranting to notice.

"When does he have time to be a Mafia boss?! He yells at me eight hours a day, and the rest of the time he's talking to himself! Do… do you think… urg."

Rock was clearly distressed and had begun fidgeting. He obviously had a lot on his mind for the past couple of hours and was now just throwing ideas at her. From the looks of it, the Yakuza caught wind of their Heir almost getting murdered, and sent in a couple of bodyguards to follow Iori around. Iori would never call them himself, since he looked down on their combat ability.

Rock plopped down in the chair across from her, his back facing the tranq crew (who were just now checking their phones) and buried his face into his palms. He groaned and peeked at her from between his fingers. Shermie was aware of his gaze going directly from her face to her chest.

"Boss left already, right?"

She chuckled and jiggled until Rock blushed and covered his eyes. She glanced over his shoulder to the tranq team, and they were all set up. She nodded curtly at them, then cooed at her unsuspecting victim.

"He's out of your hair for today. Don't worry, darling. Why don't you take a deep breath and relax?... Do you want a hug?"

She stood, waltzed over to Rock's side and pressed herself against him. He flinched away from her and was about to stand when a dart buried itself between his shoulderblades.

 _Bingo._

He jumped, shocked, and immediately tried to stagger away. That wouldn't do. The drug was fast acting, but not fast enough. She didn't want him to cause a scene, so she draped an arm across his shoulders and held him tightly to herself. He opened his mouth to yell, but his voice was muffled by her... _Assets_. Some bystanders looked on jealously.

She held him there until his struggling became feeble and he could do nothing but glare.

She smiled down at him.

"Done, baby?"

"Y-you… wh-..."

"Be a good boy, and we won't need to get rough. You'll cooperate, won't you?"

One final glare, and his eyes rolled back into his head. He slumped against her bosoms and would have suffocated himself if Shermie didn't pull away.

"Rocky?"

"..."

She chuckled and stroked his hair.

"Alright Rocky. Time to go on an adventure."

* * *

Lmao death by tit


	47. BrickBreaker

_Yags a boob man._

 _He's a moron, and I love him._

* * *

"No way, she seriously did that?"

Yashiro sniggered.

"Would I lie to you? She definitely did. Ya know that saying ' _the hot ones are always crazy?'_ "

Iori snorted and nodded an affirmative. There was a moment of silence. Yashiro waited just long enough for it to become awkward.

"And she's really hot."

"..."

Iori narrowed his eyes and half turned to reply..

"You don't need to tell me that. I actually have eyes."

"Yeah, but you're into dudes so… "

It took a moment for that comment to process, then Iori replied with the expected answer. He was painfully predictable during verbal altercations. Yashiro always felt like a genius arguing against him.

"Shut the fuck up I'm not gay!"

"You're sounding pretty defensive there, buddy"

"I'll blow you to bits. Be quiet."

 _Wow… 'blow you' to bits? That's unfortunate._

There was a moment of silence where Yashiro weighed the pro's and con's of enraging his host and possibly getting tossed out the window. Iori had crossed his arms over his chest and was trying to stare holes into the back of the driver's head.

 _He won't freak out. He needs me for the concert… heh._

"...You're flirting with me."

"What? No. Fuck you!"

"Freudian slip much? Just admit it, don't be shy."

"Gah!"

Yashiro couldn't help but laugh, even as his toes were stomped on and Iori elbowed him in the gut. The driver up front yelled something neither of them understood. Iori replied with what was likely to be Spanish profanity.

Yashiro had his chuckle and hunkered down, waiting for his companion to cool off. He turned to admire the view from the window. Shanghai's towering buildings walled the streets on both sides, and gave the city a tremendous labrythine feel. Up ahead was a great canal filled with boats. The sky was gloomy, yet the atmosphere remained oppressively hot. Summer in Asia was no joke. If he wasn't dead, he'd probably be sweating like a pig.

 _Thank God Yagami doesn't sweat either… I'd hate to sit next to him if he did._

It was ten thirty in the morning and the two of them had squeezed into the backseat of a taxi cab. They had just finished doing the site overview of their concert venue and taking inventory of what they needed. Initially, the employees running the site made things difficult for them. Neither he nor Iori spoke Chinese, so most of their communication was done via writing (as the two languages shared characters). It took 15 minutes of angrily scribbled notes and incoherent shouting for everyone to fall into line. Then they were off to fetch the first thing on their list - extension cords.

So now here they were. The two of them squashed up against each other in an unfriendly taxi, sniping. Yashiro had to admit the close quarters was mostly his fault. His massive frame had his companion unhappily pressed against the window. He hadn't yet voiced complaint - but there was ample time for that. The store was still fifteen minutes further.

The car made a left, and with the help of the vehicle's momentum, Yashiro leaned into his seat-buddy harder than necessary. Iori looked up from his brickbreaker game and glared at him.

"What."

"I don't think Shermie will mind if we hit it off. She's always encouraging me to try new things...Maybe she'll even get involved."

"Kill yourself right now."

"Not into threesomes?"

"Not with you, no."

"Fair enough."

Iori finished glaring and went back to his video game. Yashiro yawned and checked his fingernails.

Before he became a heavenly king, threatened to destroy humanity and killed himself, his relationship with Iori Yagami was nothing short of nasty rivalry. He hated Iori, and if Iori cared enough to hate him back, Yashiro might not have despised the other man so intensely.

But now that Yashiro had died and come back three or four times, he had mellowed out a lot. Iori's opinion of him didn't really change - he was still indifferent - but that was fine. The guy lived in his own crazy world, and people coming back from the dead didn't even make him blink. He was the first person Yashiro met post-suicide that didn't seem to care he was ' _post-suicide'_.

In fact, Iori was never really one to ask questions at all. It was easy to keep secrets around him, because he hardly felt a need to learn about people's intentions. He took in Vice and Mature quite easily. He didn't mind Yashiro and Shermie either- his former enemies. He didn't ask questions. He just didn't care.

 _A real odd duck._

But that wasn't a bad thing. At least he was entertaining… because he was nuts. He didn't mind buying everyone drinks, and he wasn't above having the occasional semi-intelligent conversation. What else could you ask for in an acquaintance?

The only downside was he might kill you if you said something wrong, but at this point, Yashiro was used to being killed. It wasn't that big a deal.

So with that in mind, Yashiro decided to prod Iori further. This conversation had devolved into locker room talk, and Yashiro was gonna make it as uncomfortable as possible. He cleared his throat.

"You're just afraid I might confuse you with Shermie, right? I mean you're both tiny and-"

Iori slammed down his phone and exclaimed in disbelief.

"Bitch, did you just call _Shermie_ tiny?!"

"..."

"..."

 _He's passionate about that?_

"... Ah. No that's a mistake."

"A mistake if I've ever heard one. Holy shit. Your woman is _stacked."_

Yashiro grinned.

"You're the same as her. If your shirts get any tighter, someone's gonna demand you wear a sports bra."

A pause.

"You think so? I did chest this morning. Eight sets. 250. Pumped as hell."

Iori patted himself, looking pleased with the unintentional compliment. Yashiro sniggered and rolled his eyes as his conservant continued.

"I wanna see Shermie after she does a good chest workout… you should introduce her to the bench press"

"I've got enough tit in my life. Any more and she won't walk straight."

"That's hot as fuck."

"...You're a weird one, Yagami."

" _That's_ a surprise?"

"Oh, no. Literally not at all."

They quickly moved from locker room talk to gym talk. When that petered out, they sat in uncomfortable silence once again.

Iori went back to his game. Yashiro watched him play and offered unhelpful commentary.

"You lost again…"

"Shut up"

"It looks easy as hell."

"I said Shut up. Go die."

"Have you started seeing anyone?"

Iori's expression didn't change. He continued to play his game.

"Nah."

"Why not? Haven't met Miss perfect?"

"Too busy. I don't like dating. I've got like five years left to live. Not gonna spend any of that pandering to some chick."

"Romantic."

"Shut up."

"Just go left."

"Shut!"

He grumbled as he lost the same level for the third time in a row. It honestly looked really easy. Yashiro asked to try, and now he was in the hot seat. Iori narrated from behind his shoulder.

"Press Ok and double tap to shoot the balls. Oy! Go to the right and catch it!"

He lost. He tried again. He spoke as he started the next round.

"You have enough time to be playing video games. I could help you meet the right man."

"I'm not gay, and I'm _actually_ busy. I spend all my time dealing with this band. Howard green behind the ears, and he still doesn't know acciaccato from acciaccatura. Like what the hell."

Yashiro blinked as his music theory PTSD came back and smacked his brain across the room. Iori must be the music teacher from hell. Nobody cared about the difference between acciaccato and acciaccatura besides for Iori. There was a pang of sympathy toward what Rock must have gone through, then a pang of guilt towered what was probably being done to him this very moment.

 _Hope Shermie isn't too rough..._

Whatever he felt, he didn't let Iori see it. He put on his most sleazy insufferable voice and elbowed his grumpy car-mate affectionately. His job was to keep Iori sufficiently distracted such that he didn't go looking for Rock during the next eight hours. Still, Yashiro couldn't just drop this line of attack. It was just too amusing.

"Dude, just admit you're dating him. You hired him so you could stare at his ass all day, didn't you?"

That earned him an incredulous look.

"...What? Who?"

"Rocky. He's cute."

" _Howard?_ … Seriously?… there's _literally_ no reason for him to think I'm hot for him."

Yashiro didn't miss a beat.

"Besides for the fact you're not gay?"

He sputtered.

"Yes! Of course that! This is ridiculous."

"Ooh, big word there."

Iori turned to glare at him, clearly expecting some sort of explanation for this wild and offensive allegation. From the looks of it, the thought had truly never crossed Iori's mind. Yashiro was still playing brickbreaker, and finished off the level. He started the next one.

"You did tell him you would kiss him while we were in Sydney."

"Yeah. That was a joke."

"Well, he believed it. You ever wonder why he tries to avoid you so much? And why he's attacking you and shit?"

Iori looked absolutely disbelieving. He was dumb, but obviously not _this_ dumb. Yashiro realized he had dug himself into something of a hole, and just hoped he could maneuver out of it.

Iori replied slowly.

"So him screwing up concerts and attacking me is just his way of rejecting my _'romantic advances'_. Sure. That's the stupidest shit I've ever heard. Stop talking out of your ass… wait you beat the level?"

"Yeah, and yeah."

"How'd you beat it?"

"Dunno. I'm better than you?"

"Hmph."

Yashiro beat two more levels before Iori demanded his phone back. Now that the stages were more difficult, Iori's attempts became even more hopeless. He didn't seem to be getting frustrated though.

"There's no way it's something like that. I spent a full month with him polishing technique before we came on tour, and nothing like this ever happened. Kagura thinks he's just scared and stressed out."

"... did Kagura talk to him?"

Iori looked up from his game and promptly lost the round. He narrowed his eyes at the bigger man.

"Wait, he _told_ you this?"

Yashiro put on his most trusting face as he spun the dumbest lie in his lifetime.

"Yeah, why would I tell you otherwise? He knows you're going through hell and back to keep him in this band, and he's all suspicious. Didn't you buy him a phone?"

"Actually I threatened to fire him yesterday… and I had to get him a phone. He left his at home."

"Might as well have bought him flowers."

"What! That's dumb as shit!"

"Would I lie to you?"

Iori grumbled to himself and turned to glower out the window. After a moment, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. Yashiro panicked and grabbed the phone out of his hand before it's owner could hit 'call'. If Rock's phone went off, and some idiot mafioso decided to pick up and demand ransom from Iori, Shermie's entire plan would be derailed. The goal was to get Whip to go on the rescue mission, and fall into ambush. The last thing they needed was a pillar of fire shooting into the sky and consuming the entire block.

 _Oh, Shermie… The things I do for you._

Yashiro braced himself as Iori sliced him in the arm and made an unsuccessful grab for the cellphone. They tussled until the driver screamed at them. Only then did they resort to words.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"No, what are _you_ doing."

"I'm gonna call the bastard! What the hell do you think I'm doing? Give me my phone or I'll lop your head off!"

"You can't!"

Iori was getting pissed.

"Well, why the fuck not?!"

Yashiro wracked his brain for a somewhat legitimate sounding reason for Iori not to call his employee. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"He's underage. You can't."

"What!? No - You're bullshitting me. Give me my phone."

Iori sliced him again, and made a grab for his phone. Yashiro shoved him away. The driver glared at them through the rear-view mirror and it looked like he wanted to murder them both.

"Hey, Ow- I'm serious! Hear me out!"

"No! Give it here!"

By this point, they had forgotten they were in a moving vehicle, and started wrestling and shouting over each other. Iori seemed more passionate about inflicting pain than anything else. Yashiro thanked his lucky starts he was already dead, and didn't feel the worst of it.

"Hey- he- Ow, fuck! You can't just call some underage kid, and tell them ' _Don't worry I don't want to fuck you, I'm safe to hang out with'_! That's the most suspicious thi- _Goddammit It Yagami I'm bleeding everywhere!_ "

"I WILL TURN YOUR INNARDS INTO OUTERS! GIVE ME MY SHIT!"

 _(*Thud*)_

 _(*crunch*)_

"..."

"..."

Both men froze at the sound of a cell phone being folded in half. Iori had one hand wrapped around Yashiro's throat. Yashiro had an elbow planted firmly in Iori's stomach. The object they were fighting for was sparking and dropping bits of electronic debris from Yashiro's closed fist.

Iori swiveled his neck to look from his ruined phone, to the man responsible. His eyes said _'get ready for a massive bitch-fest'._ Yashiro grimaced, and tried to sound as apologetic as possible. Not that it would matter much.

"... ah. My mistak- OW! FUCK!"

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

 _Ugh, Shermie - this had better be worth it..._

* * *

 _Rock isn't underaged - Whip is though :0_

 _Yash and Yag are perfect together._

*lennyface*


	48. Stand Up Tragedy

_Whip is adorable_

 _THe scary kind of adorable_

* * *

 _*You've Reached Rock Howard's voicemail. Don't leave a message, text me instead. Thanks!*_

Seirah deadpanned at her cellphone for a long while, before taking a deep breath and stowing it into her handbag. She closed her eyes, imagined happy things, then opened them again.

It didn't help at all. She didn't feel any better… Because a couple of days ago, in his desperation to procure protection against his employer, Rock Howard had promised a myriad of things. Among those many things was: "I swear to pick Seirah up from the airport in Shanghai when she arrives"

But of course, he had forgotten.

 _What kind of disgusting slime forgets to-... shhh, shhh calm…_

Not only had he forgotten to pick her up, he was also ignoring her calls. It was just past 12 in the afternoon, and there was no way he was out of battery. She sent him a couple of text messages - to no avail, then left him three progressively angrier voice messages before calling a cab.

 _I'm gonna give him an earful… standing me up… humph._

If it had been up to her, Seirah would have taken the same flight Rock had taken last night. Honestly, she expected to. Iori had proven rather generous lately, and didn't seem to care where his money was spent. He had notified her he was paying her hotel fare in Hong Kong, _and_ in Shanghai, but failed to mention her plane ticket. She shouldn't have assumed he bought her one. He didn't. She was on her own to book a flight as soon as she could, and by the time she got around to it - Rock's flight was full.

 _Damn Yagami… ugh._

Perhaps Iori had forgotten? Perhaps it _conveniently_ slipped his mind at Rock's request? Seirah might never know- and was unwilling to go confront the eccentric red-head about it. She already had to deal with him at work. As an analyst, her job was to manage battlefield information, and collect potentially useful data for Commander Heidern's review. Normally when she requested soldiers in the field to _not melt the giant computer server into unreadable goop,_ they listened. Iori didn't. He didn't really listen to anybody - and that annoyed Whip to no end.

 _Always making my life hard… that Flaming Loonybin..._

He obviously hadn't connected the fact that she was that voice in his comms, which constantly called in, bugging him to swipe maps and flash drives. That was a plus, since he hated her and reminded her of that fact very, very often... Anyways, it wasn't as if he could go back in time and do things the right way (meaning, to buy her a plane ticket), and it wasn't worth the trouble. If anything, it _definitely,_ wasn't worth the headache.

… _and from what I've heard, he's off doing concert set-up… I couldn't find him if I wanted to… Rock hasn't been going with him, so he's probably holed up in his room watching movies… and ignoring me!_

Seirah frowned for a long while, then rolled her eyes and sighed. She took a seat on a bench, pulled off her denim jacket and fanned herself in the oppressive heat. She reached down and picked up her (very obviously military) duffel bag with an uncanny ease, before pulling out her desert eagle and strapping the harness about her waist, beneath her skirt. A couple of bystanders looked at her nervously. Clearly, it was not the behavior they expected from a sixteen year old girl.

Seirah was too concerned about Rock, and what sort of horrors he must be going through because she wasn't with him, to care about observer opinions.

… _and Cow-Tits has probably been smearing herself all over him for the past day… and he probably got beat up and electrocuted…She deserved to be shot, but I'm glad she didn't die, otherwise the Commander would skin me… and Mr. Loonybins would have gone spitting fire everywhere again…_

Whip wasn't sure how or why she had gotten so attached… rather, _jealous for_ Rock Howard. Despite his remarkable lineage - being the only son of the SouthTown Gang Boss, Geese Howard, then raised by the KOF Champion, Terry Bogard - he was a fairly normal teenager. He liked basketball, supercars and cooking. He was honest, mellow and shy - especially around women. He played guitar well, and he yelled at people when he got frustrated… that was about it.

He was simple. Pure. Normal…

 _She,_ on the other hand, came from a much more… _unique_ background. 7 years ago, she was synthesized as Experiment AF120210-C in a Norwegian NESTS base. AF120210-C, Dr. Makishima's first successful clone created from dead DNA. Her purpose - besides for carrying out menial tasks for the NESTS Cartel - was that in the event the retrieval team were unable to capture Kyo Kusanagi alive,- they would dissect her to see if they should use ' _Cloning Method B'_ for the creation of the clone army _._

If Kyo Kusanagi had not been captured alive, she would have been killed and cut to pieces five years ago without ever knowing the reason why. If she hadn't stumbled across her experimental file just before the order went out to cull the remnants of Project K, she would have been murdered and disposed of without a second thought. She was a lab rat. An expendable life. A creature made to suffer for the sake of the ' _greater good'_. A mere clone of ano-… no…

 _Shut up! I'm not what that filthy doctor made me… I'm my own person… I can be normal… just like everyone else…_

 _*BEEP BEEP*_

Whip jumped at the interruption, violently shook the thoughts out of her head, and lifted her eyes to find her taxi had arrived. The driver was a small Chinese man, who looked incredibly annoyed with life. As she climbed into the backseat (which, from the looks of it, had been freshly dry cleaned) she heard him mutter ' _Damn Foreigners'_ , before snatching the sheet of paper she proffered him and punching the Hotel address into his GPS.

Whip found the man's behavior unnecessarily rude, but her Chinese wasn't good enough to argue with him. She made do with contemplating her next steps as she was carried into the heart of the city.

First, she was going to bitch-slap Rock Howard into last week.

And then, maybe she'd try and… _No… hm…_

* * *

 _poor brocky._

 _if he gets slapped into last week, he can book the flight for her._

 _Then, maybe he wouldn't have gotten kidnapped._

 _(conspiracy music ~)_

 _reeeeeeeeeeee_


	49. Stone Cold Lover

_Wree._

 _Triad time!_

* * *

 _* edit time; I decided to come leave a note because the transition between last chap and this was way too obscure (I was going to address it a few chapters from now when the POV goes back to Whip - but I don't want you guys to wtf). So Whip was leaving airport in last chap, and like - Imma kick rocky boy's ass. She takes the taxi to hotel. finds nothing. Tracks his phone GPS, ends up here._

 _K enjoy._

* * *

"Brother Kam, someone's coming in...It's..."

Brother Lim squinted into one of the four the tiny, grainy monitors before him. He was hunched up in a dimly lit, strangely smelling room, with nothing but a walkie talkie and a three year old newspapers to keep him company. He had been happily reading those newspapers, when a movement in the 'main entrance screen' piqued his attention.

 _*Lim?*_

"Uh, hold on Sir. I can't quite make it out."

 _*Let me know*_

Brother Kam - the Triad head accountant - had decided to run this mission. Of course, it was off the books. Technically, the Triads and the Yakuza were friendly with each other. There were various agreements between them. Diplomatic division of territory and business. The sharing of trade routes and carriers. Deals had been cut. Contracts had been signed….

But today, despite all the paperwork and red tape, they were here to strike at the Yakuza. They were here to kill Iori Yagami.

… _this is a waste of time..._

Brother Lim sighed, and rubbed his eyes. The person walking through the gate had a much slighter figure than their target, and was likely some teenager exploring an old shipyard. He turned on his walkie talkie and reported back to his superior.

"Sir, It's not him. Just some girl..."

 _*A girl?... Why is a girl here? Go question her, and get her out.*_

"Yes Sir."

Lim yawned, stowed his newspapers, and stood with a grunt. As he clambered down to the main floor (the office was on the second level) he couldn't help but wonder why the hell the Triads were trying to assassinate a pop-star.

From what Lim knew of him, Iori Yagami wasn't involved with his family (Yakuza) business. He had apparently disliked it so much he took off and moved to America. He was also a highly public figure, and made the news a lot for incredibly stupid things. Brother Lim wasn't quite sure why they were spending so much time and energy hunting down someone with nothing to do with… anything really - but he wasn't high rank enough to ask questions. As far as he could tell, all this would do was piss off Iori's powerful gang uncles, and throw the entire music industry into chaos.

 _What is Brother Kam thinking? Ugh…_

According to Kam, he had proposed this plan to the Triad leaders, they had agreed… and that's how Brother Lim was here. That's how he, the bodyguard assigned to the Triad's accounting head, was off to interrogate a highschooler playing hide-and-seek among the barrels and crates of an old shipyard warehouse.

 _This is a terrible waste of time..._

They had even gone as far as to ally with a band insider, kidnap one of the band members and employ a fifteen man firing squad to hide in the shadows of a warehouse. In fact, the firing squad didn't even know any of this was going on. To keep upmost secrecy, they had been told they were merely guarding an important shipment.

 _Unnecessary... really..._

They had an American kid conked out in the back room. They had his cellphone pinging out GPS signals in the front room. They had some strange French lady bouncing around in an extremely low cut shirt. Nobody knew what was going on… except Kam apparently - who acted like everything was going according to plan.

 _What plan… humph._

Brother Lim would understand if the Gang were asking for a ransom - but they weren't. This was a plain old hit job. _The plan_ was to pump the unsuspecting pop star full of lead the moment he wandered into this warehouse looking for his lost bandmate. That's it. Then they'd throw his body in the bay and go have something to drink? It just seemed asinine.

* _Bzzt_ _have you gotten the girl out yet?*_

Brother Lim startled.

"Not yet, Sir. I'm looking for her."

* _Look for her faster.*_

"Okay, okay…"

Apparently his tone of voice betrayed his state of mind. His client immediately suspected he wasn't as committed to the cause as he would have liked. Mr. Kam sounded annoyed. Brother Lim rolled his eyes. He wasn't used to taking these kinds of orders from Kam. He was a fantastic accountant who ran the financial department very smoothly - and that was to be respected... but honestly, Lim had no confidence in Kam's combat strategy. In fact, he had no idea why they were doing this at all.

 _*Lim. This is a very important operation, and it's very important that nothing goes wrong. Do you understand me?*_

"I got it, sir."

 _*Have you ever met those Yakuza Bastards?*_

Lim frowned just as he hit the bottom floor and began walking toward the entrance of the warehouse.

"Of course, sir. I've encountered them on several occasions."

 _*Right. So you've probably seen one of those red-haired ones too. Those guys are from the Yagami family - and they control flames.*_

Lim exhaled sharply. The Chinese Mafia was no stranger to Martial Arts. They had powerful fighters in their ranks as well. They had associates with the Hizoku. They had associates who were champions of underground fighting rings… hell, they even had a lady who summoned divine beasts. Fire was nothing more than a party trick. He made his opinion clear with a scornful snort.

"So what? A single one of our Hizoku assassins could take them out easy. This Yagami kid isn't even involved with his gang. I don't see why we're messing around like this. If we want him dead - just send… Miss Luan or something. She looked bored last time I saw her."

A short pause. Brother Lim had wandered outside the warehouse to take a look around and get some air.

 _*We did send Luan, then the next day, we got an email containing a photo of her chopped up corpse in a bathtub.*_

Lim froze.

"What? Luan's dead?"

 _*Unfortunately, Yes. Now back to my point - the Yagami family has always had flames, and they haven't been a problem until recently. For the past couple of years, the Purple flames have grown ridiculously powerful... And it's not just one person who got stronger - all of them! Every damn member of that family can take out a twenty man cohort by themselves. Imagine we took one of our assassins, and just cloned them until we had a thousand copies? That's what we're up against… and now that the Yakuza is trying to expand into Peking, we need to put a stop to this.*_

Kam was ranting - very unlike him. He must be stressed. Lim decided to look for the girl a bit more seriously.

 _*- and the reason behind that sudden power-up? I suspected it had something to do with the new head. The kid's a singer, yeah, and he's also dumb as rocks, but he's no pushover. I did some digging, and found that IKARI… you know, that mercenary group allied with the US? He's one of their fucking contractors. I don't know what he does for them, but let me assure you -_

Lim was only halfway listening. There was a long... _leather?_ rope trailing on the ground, and leading into the back entrance of the building. It was quickly pulled around the corner of the doorway and disappeared into the long corridor. Lim drew his firearm hurried over to peer into the darkness.

"Who goes there!"

 _*-he's no joke. We need to take this seriously so we can all get promoti-*_

Lim cursed and muted his walkie-talkie. He slapped a the wall where he knew the lightswitch was, but instead poked himself on a mess of wires. Somebody had smashed… no, shot out the switch. Lim cursed again before pulling out his flashlight, and aiming down sights.

Ahead, was the teenage girl.

She was wearing a denim skirt, sneakers, a tube top, and military grade night vision goggles. The flashlight blinded her temporarily, and she shielded herself from the beam of light. She looked panicked and appeared too scared to speak. Lim groaned. It really was some high school kid… probably testing out the night vision goggles her rich parents bought for her.

He lowered his gun slightly to get a better look at her, he noticed that this girl was significantly more muscular than other members of her demographic. She also had something tucked under her skirt, but didn't look too carefully. He felt a little creepy.

He un-muted his comms to report to his client.

"Kam. I found the girl. I'll escort her out of the buildin- _huuueeeeeh._ "

A blade flashed in the dark. The leather rope wasn't a rope. It was a whip, and there was a blade embedded in it. It had crawled slowly into position whilst Lim was distracted, and with the flick of her wrist, his throat was slit.

 _*Lim?*_

He gasped and gurgled, clutching his neck with both hands before turning and staggering towards the corridor entrance. He didn't get far. The whip snaked about his leg, and he hit the floor with a _crack_. Stunned, he let go of his through. The wound in his neck began bleeding profusely and his breath became short. Beside him, his comms went off.

 _*Brother Lim? What's happening?*_

He rolled onto his back and shakily reached for it, but the whip came again and sliced _something off._ The girl sharply kicked his hand away, and snatched up his walkie talkie. After a moment, she muted it and tossed it aside. He looked over to her and his blood ran cold.

Because the girl no longer looked like an innocent teenager. Her face was stony, and her eyes were cold. She picked up the flashlight and shone it down on him. After a moment, she seemed satisfied he would die without further encouragement. She gathered her snake-like whip about her and continued into the bowels of the building.

* * *

 _Okay, so I wanted Whip to go all solid snake and hide the body, but it was so much cooler to just have her walk away. Still... she should have hid the body. Pretend she hid the body._

 _I'm actually unsure if I ever included the reason Triad wanted Yag dead. I didn't really wanna go read back, so I just stated it again._

 _Whippy vs World!_

 _Oh btw - Voodoo (the whip) is actually a nests creation that can turn into a blade AND a Gun. (what the heck gun?) I kept the whip - blade part. the other part is dumbass._

 _Leave a comment, or Shermie will bounce her way into your dreams tonight. (lennyface)_

 _ok sorry that was kinda gross._

 _lmao_


	50. Baby Goose

_Actual plot no wai_

 _Eating some baked duck tonight._

* * *

 _Urgh… shit…_

The first thing he felt upon waking was nausea.

It was really bad. If he had eaten anything this morning, he would have most certainly thrown up. Everything around him was wobbling. The dim walls. The dim floors. He didn't know these walls or these floors… where was he?

"Hello? Anyo-... urgh."

He had woken up slumped over the edge of a cot and slowly lifted his head. He couldn't see much of anything, and he ached everywhere. What in the world happened to him! Panicked, he tried to sit up and call for help, but had to grit his teeth and shut his eyes to weather another wave of nausea.

He lay back down and tried to breathe. He wasn't sure exactly what he was dealing with at the moment, and there was some nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was on his own for this one. He needed to compose himself and quell his nerves. Somehow he felt his brain was unable to process too many things at once, so he was going to take things slowly. He spoke out loud, at least his own voice was familiar.

"Rock… Okay, man. Where are you? Look around."

He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in… a room. Not a normal room. The room was small and dimly lit. The walls were painted white and made of corrugated metal. There were no lamps or windows, just a couple of holes punched in the ceiling for air and light.

"Okay… uh. Is there a door?"

His eyes were adjusting to the darkness. He sat up carefully and took a look around. There was no door - but it looked like one of the walls might open up. This looked like… it was a shipping container! Why the hell was he in a shipping container?! Where was he before? Wasn't he-

"Okay, Okay, shit... Stop that Rocky. Focus man. You got this."

…

"Last thing you remember. Go."

He answered aloud. Anyone who heard him would have thought he was a crazy person. Maybe Iori had the right idea talking to himself like this. It really seemed to help…

"Shermie's tits. I remember falling asleep on Shermie's tits… and being mad at her."

"Why were you mad at her?"

"Because… because."

He shut his eyes and tried his best to remember. _Ah, yes_.

"Somebody shot me... but I'm not hurt. I just fell asleep… a tranquilizer?"

"Like from the spy movies."

"..."

"Okay. Um."

He took another look around, then down to check his limbs. As far as he could tell, he wasn't hurt in any way. He was wearing his gym clothes. He had his basketball shorts, his sneakers, and really horrible smelling socks (he had run two miles this morning). That was fine, since it was pretty warm in this metal box, and with the sun beating down, it was only getting hotter. Everything seemed to be in order… he was still feeling groggy, but that was probably due to the tranquilizer.

"So… Shermie put you in here."

"Yeah, but why?"

"Uh."

He picked his brain but nothing came to mind. There was truly no reason Rock could think of that Shermie would kidnap him… Unless this was some sort of elaborate prank that she and Yashiro had thought up to piss off Iori. _But Yashiro said he was gonna go help Boss with set-up today…_

He frowned, then exclaimed.

"Think about it later. Get out of here first. Let's find out where you are."

With a grunt, he stood to his feet and walked over to the far end of the container. He placed both hands against the 'doors' and pushed. They opened, but just a little - perhaps by six inches, before the clatter of a chain halted his progress.

 _Oh… a chain._

The container was chained shut - with him in it.

… _Um…_

Somebody had chained him into a shipping container!

 _Holy shit. Somebody had chained him into a shipping container!_

His mind was suddenly flooded with all the scenes from the human trafficking documentaries he had watched over the years. Who the hell wanted him?! Where were they taking him! What were they going to do with him! Was he going to get chopped up for organs? Maybe he was gonna get sent to some hellhole to slave away for the rest of his life. Maybe they were gonna use him in human experiments and-

"Shit! SHIT! LET ME OUT OF HERE! HEY! IS ANYONE THERE!? HELP! SOMEBOOODY!?"

He pounded on the doors and shouted until his throat was raw, and his mind was numb. He had tried in vain to rip the chain, and only succeeded in tearing his callouses off. After a long while, he collapsed to kneel on the blood splattered floor, drenched in his own sweat. He stared outside at the bright light and felt despair set in.

 _Oh God… please help… I need someone to-_

Rock blinked.

A moment of hope. He berated himself for being so stupid. Who was the one who had taken care of him thus far? He was on the road anyways… surely he wouldn't mind taking a detour to wherever this was.

"You idiot! Call Iori! Shit-"

Rock jumped to his feet and patted his pockets for his phone. If Iori was some scary military serial killer, then all the better. A rescue mission would be a walk in the park for him, right? He'd just waltz in here, bust him out, burn some evil human traffickers and then they'd probably go eat hamburgers.

 _Where's my phone! Shit!_

He checked every pocket twice. No phone. No signal…

 _Fuck!_

He groaned, and went to lay on his cot, his mind in turmoil. Surely, somebody was going to notice he was gone. If he didn't show up to the concert rehearsals tomorrow, surely Iori would come looking for him. Maybe Whip would look for him too! She was expecting him to pick her up at noon… maybe she would look for him?

 _I just need to wait? What if… what if I get shipped out first? Maybe I'll already be on a boat by the time someone comes for me? What then…_

Rock sighed and gritted his teeth. His hands stung. His throat hurt. He spoke grimly to himself.

"You need to get out of here, Rocky. No matter what. You gotta get someone to help. Yell like your life depends on it."

And so he did.

* * *

"Dammit! Is that kid still screaming?"

Lee shrugged and took another drag from his cigarette. He and Tam were in charge of guarding the American band kid they had kidnapped earlier this morning. Mr Kam had told them to keep the boy alive until he had fulfilled his purpose as a hostage. Once they confirmed Iori Yagami was dead, they were allowed to do whatever they wanted with the kid. Initially, he had proposed they knock the kid out and drop him behind an embassy later that evening, but once their prisoner woke up and started pounding on the doors and screaming his head off - they were mentally consigning him to worse and worse punishments.

"Yup. Still screaming. Still going strong."

Lee shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a legendary migraine because of this kid, and wanted nothing more than to put him back to sleep with another tranq dart. Unfortunately, they only had rifles on them, and shooting him in the leg wasn't going to make him scream any less. Lee was just going to weather it until Kam finally said they could off the boy.

"Well, I'm going to shut him the fuck up!"

Tam looked deadly pissed. He had a newborn at home, and apparently could only deal with one screaming demon at a time. He picked up his rifle and stalked across the field toward the side of the shipping container. Lee knew what he was going to do - and if he wasn't also incredibly tired of the cacophony going off not even 50 yards off, he might have stopped his collegue.

Instead, he took another drag from his cigarette, and called out to Tam.

"Just gonna scare him?"

Tam responded without turning around or otherwise breaking pace.

"Gonna scare the life out of him. With this."

He patted his rifle. Lee frowned at him.

"Well, whatever you do, I didn't see anything."

A snort.

"Whatever, pussy. Go take a leak or something."

Lee nodded and quickly turned to leave the vicinity. He had walked for only a couple of minutes before the sound of gunfire ripping into metal rang out. It was shortly followed by screaming and what sounded like an explosion.

Lee took another drag from his cigarette, then ducked into the restroom.

* * *

 _Sorry Rocky. Yag's phone is broke._


	51. Eye See You

_Tough day at work XD_

 _Shermie is so cool._

Btw all, thanks for reviews. Love u all

* * *

 _Shffft..._

Whip whirled around to find nothing behind her. Again.

She hissed out her next breath, and slowly padded onwards.

She had entered the building nearly fifteen minutes ago, and had killed three men so far. She botched her first enemy encounter - and that threw this whole operation into a mess.

 _Leo would have never let down her guard… I should have been more careful…_

Surely, it wasn't her fault for failing to expect heavily armed guards at an old shipyard. Whip had expected nothing more than to see workers doing overtime and the occasional foreman. She also hoped to see Rock Howard out here picking up a shipment or something.

Reality had defied her expectations, but there was nobody to complain to.

When it came to military ops, it didn't matter if the situation was unexpected, or even illogical - you just had to deal with it. If you messed up, people died. In this case, Whip had messed up - and it put her entire stealth operation in jeopardy. If she continued to mess up. She would be killed, and possibly Rock as well.

 _Who the hell would kidnap him…_

Whip had refrained from using her pistol at all. Since she hadn't brought a silencer (as she hadn't expected to use her gun today) the gunshot would undoubtedly alert everyone in the building to her location. Surely, they knew something was wrong already. Her first opponent had his comms link open when he died. Whoever was on the other line would definitely be taking precautions.

 _Left…_

Just this morning, Whip had resolved to find Rock Howard and kick him in the shins for failing to pick her up at the airport. That resolve took her to the hotel - where she interrogated the front desk - then up to her room where she set up her computer, and illegally tracked Rock's phone signal. Now she was here - hiding among the crates of an old warehouse and Rock's signal was close.

She hadn't expected foul play until she entered the building, but now that she was in the thick of it - her analyst brain was working overtime. What kind of plot was this? A simple human trafficking hit? A lure? Something more sinister? And by who? Why would the Chinese mafia pull something like this? They weren't known for such violence against civilians. They tended to be rather peaceable so long as the money kept flowing. They only got violent when somebody was interrupting their business.

And Rock Howard _definitely_ wasn't messing with Mafia business. She was sure of that. She kept tabs on all of his communications.

 _Shhhhhft._

Whip felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up again. Goosebumps pricked up all over her arms. How uncanny. It was hot in here, yet she felt the cold feeling of dread sneaking up on her. She felt like a prey animal caught in the sights of a predator. Someone was watching her, but who? And from where?

Her night vision goggles told her nothing. The thermal vision only showed a group of men on the bottom floor waiting in ambush, and a couple of people wandering outside. One guy was entering the building (probably to use the bathroom), another was wandering about the back entrance. Nobody was nearby, and she was armed and hidden quite well.

Yet… _someone was watching her… Ugh… stop it!_

Whip shook her head and gritted her teeth. She was an operative! Leona would never have doubts like this. Sure, she had retired from wet work a couple of years ago to be an analyst - but her skills were still there. She and Voodoo had always been great at stealth. A silent hand. A silent whip. A silent blade… and typically a silenced gun as well, but alas. She could make do - especially against lowly Mafia guards.

 _They're not trained like you are… calm down. Find the signal, and you'll know where Rock is. He's definitely been kidnapped… Come on Whip…_

There was a staircase up ahead leading to the ground floor. It was made of old, splintering wood, and Whip prayed it wouldn't creak as she descended. Below her - not ten yards out, was a guard. He had his back to her, and was leaning against the open warehouse doors looking out for intruders. If she was quiet - he wouldn't notice her. But if something creaked, she would be in trouble.

 _Careful… careful…_

She bided her time, carefully descending until she had both feet firmly planted on the concrete floor. Good, now she coul-

 _Crrreeeeak_

What!

" _Who goes there!"_

The guard whirled around. He pointed a gun in her general direction, but his eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness. He was scrabbling for the flashlight in his back pocket. Whip stood frozen, every muscle as tight as a wire. She looked around rapidly. She needed to find cover before he discovered her locatio-

"Dearie me, don't worry Mr. Guard… It's just me and my friend ~ _the little gun bitch!_ "

Whip nearly jumped out of her skin as A woman's voice called out from behind her ear. An arm shot out over her shoulder and wrapped itself firmly around her neck. It squeezed. She choked. An uncannily strong grip seized her hand and wrenched voodoo from her. Her gun was torn from it's harness and similarly thrown to the side. Shermie held her tightly and chuckled darkly into her ear.

"Glad to have you join, little miss gun bitch!"

" _Cow... tits… you- aaaAAAH!"_

The sky became the ground, then the ground became the sky. Whip was hurled headfirst into the hard concrete floor. The impact was so terrible, she was sure her skull had split open. She gasped and tried to roll to her feet, but Shermie hadn't let go of her.

"Not only are you a horrible little creature, but you're also stupid, aren't you?"

Whip couldn't respond. She could hardly breathe.

"I saw you with your fancy little goggles looking for me. I was only a few steps behind you - did you know that? But you and your idiot brain seemed to have forgotten I have no body heat. Don't you remember? _I'm dead._ "

Whip felt herself losing consciousness. She needed to do something. There was a knife strapped to her harness. Shermie had only taken her gun. She quickly grabbed it, and with the viciousness only a desperate person could produce, reached up and plunged it blindly into the face of her attacker.

"..."

Shermie went silent, but when her grip didn't loosen Whip felt a whole new kind of dread. Shermie seemed to be in quite a good mood when she first caught Whip, but now, every ounce of pretentious goodwill had gone. Shermie squeezed her tightly around the throat, and wrapped the other arm around her waist. She whispered into her ear. She wasn't laughing anymore.

"You! You..."

Whip felt a sludgy liquid fall from her attacker's face onto her shoulder. There was the familiar tingling of electricity charging up from Shermie's palms. Whip gritted her teeth. She knew what was coming next.

" _Little Bitch! That will cost you your eyes!_ "

* * *

 _Imagine being that guard. You're just kinda bored hanging around, then you turn around to see two girls fking tearing into eachother. like boi!_

 _btw - Whip tore out Sherrmie's eyeball with that knife strike :)_

 _heheheheh._

 _I re-read some of the first chapters of this fic, and saw that I siad this was gonna be a slice of life thing with no plot._

 _well that was a life._

 _heh._


	52. Victory by Crime Drama

_Boop boop._

 _Literally Rock could not have died, he's already in laters stories. SO is whip btw lol. I hope nobody was in suspense._

* * *

Rock Howard covered his mouth with both hands and cringed against the back of the shipping container. He held his breath, even afraid to breathe.

He had survived by pure luck.

 _What the hell… someone tried to shoot me…_

He had been banging on the doors and calling out nonstop for about half an hour, and, tired, had paused to take a small break. It was then when he heard a click.

Not just any click. The click of a rifle's safety coming off. Rock recognized it from the many, many hours of crime dramas he had watched. That sound- connected to images of guns and death - triggered some deeply hidden survival instinct in his mind. He dove to the back of the container, crawled under the cot, covered his ears and shut his eyes. Shortly afterwards, bullets ripped into the container - punching holes through the corrugated metal.

 _Fuck! Someone just tried to kill me!_

Sunlight flooded in through the holes, and Rock opened his eyes to be blinded by the light. He saw the silhouette of a man approach, blocking several holes. Undoubtedly, this was the person who had just tried to kill him. He was coming to check and see if he had succeeded.

 _Fuck! What the fuck!_

Rock Howard should have been scared. He _was_ scared. He knew there was danger… but something clicked, and he came to a realization. The same realization that… _that he had just come to a moment before…?_

 _You're going crazy, Rocky..._

There was danger.

Sure.

 _So what? Just get rid of it._

The danger triggered something. The venom in his blood broke free and ignited someone deep and vicious within him. It rolled in his veins like acid and set his brain on fire. Suddenly, he was feeling a lot less selfish. His focus was no longer on his own well being. He was now concerned about crushing his would-be murder's skull with his bare hands.

 _Let's go, Rocky. Go crazy._

He rolled out from beneath the cot and silently climbed into a crouch. Normally, he would have been too afraid to move - but right now, he was hot! He had gone off like a switch. Like a epiphany. He was riled up, but controlled and focused. His chest was tight, and his breath came out like a hiss. He planted both hands on the ground, just like Terry taught him, and pulled energy from the depths. It boiled and writhed within him, fueling that evil instinct. That horrid creature - _Geese's Blood._

But today, it wasn't his enemy. Today, it would lend him strength.

 _("Still alive you little shit?")_

His attacker said something. Rock didn't understand, but didn't intend to answer anyways. He was crouched on the ground, his back against the wall from which the bullets came. Once his attacker got close, then that little bomb of energy he was nursing so carefully within him was going to fly out and mangle a man.

 _I'm not just anyone, you shit! I'll split your skull!_

Rock held his breath and waited. The man called out.

 _("Hellooo?! All dead, huh? That'll teach you. Scream all you want in hell.")_

He approached closer until he was all but blocking the light coming in. The man leveled his eye to a bullet hole and looked in.

*CRACK*

What he saw terrified him, because he screamed. He hadn't expected to see a perfectly healthy Rock Howard flash out in front of him, and plunge a fist through the weakened metal barrier and squarely into his nose.

There was the crack of bone smashing through cartilage and hitting the skull, then the loud _boom_ as Rock channeled that volatile energy through his fist, and into the man's head. In that moment, there wasn't a single sound more satisfying than that of the man's nose breaking and his brain crackling in venomous heat.

Rock watched with a sick satisfaction as the man convulsed and collapsed backwards. The veins in his eyes had burst and he bled from his eyes. There was blood leaking from his ears and nose. He was very clearly dead.

Rock had just killed someone.

… _a murderer…_

But honestly, he didn't really care.

Not right now anyways.

Right now, he was _hot_.

He was _dangerous._

And he was going after Shermie.

* * *

 _u reckon I can finish this before Quarentine is over?_

 _:thinkingface:_


	53. The Other Man

_Our baby goose is growing up!_

 _Return of Duckling! heh._

* * *

Everything was a daze.

He moved like he was in a dream.

 _Power._

Maddening Power.

It pulsed through him every time his foot touched the ground. Streaming up from the earth, into his limbs, and propelling him onwards. He moved in ecstasy, faster than he had ever run before. He fought with no fear. Nothing seemed real anyways. Bullets? Who cared. He watched one tear through his shoulder, but for whatever reason - he couldn't feel a thing. It probably wasn't serious. He was going to ignore it. Besides what he was doing- _was incredibly fun._

He was invincible.

That _other_ someone had surfaced from the depths of his blood to aid him in this battle. It was powerful. It was terrifying. His chi moved more freely than ever before - he pulled from an endless wellspring from beneath his feet. The energy sizzled, bursting out. Blazing. He fought with his bare fists, coated in that maddening, crackling energy. He didn't recall how many fights he had over the past ten minutes, and frankly, he didn't care to count. At least three or four including that bastard who had tried to shoot him. Ah, whatever. That didn't matter.

What mattered was Shermie.

He was going to kill Shermie.

She had tricked him. She had ambushed him. She tried to have him killed. There was no reason for her to live. Nobody could do something like that to him. He was going to kill her, just like anyone else who stood in his way.

 _*Bang - Thunk - Clang*_

Rock flew across the courtyard and slammed his way into the building. His mind didn't know where he was going, but his bloodlust did. The venomous crackling in his blood knew exactly who it wanted to kill, and exactly where to find them. He followed the corridors as if he knew them by heart, as if he had lived here his whole life. There was an absolute confidence in his step. There was no room for fear or uncertainty in his euphoria-drunken brain.

 _Time to rumble..._

A man peeked around a corner up ahead. He had a gun. Rock didn't care. He charged and hit him in the chest. Hard. His chi - which normally was used for reinforcement - exploded from his hand and wrecked havoc on the man's lungs. There was no visible wound - but Rock knew he had all but liquified the man's innards. All without a drop of blood spilled. Rock nodded at his handiwork and continued onwards without sparing the wheezing man a second glance.

He was just another victory.

Another conquest.

Time to move onwards.

Up ahead… a closed door. A dirty fluorescent lightbulb was mounted on top of it, and it lit the cracked concrete walls and floor with a pale, unsettling light. Any normal person would be put on edge by such a sight, but Rock Howard wasn't thinking straight. He was angry, he was invincible, and he was going to avenge himself on whoever crossed his path. That's what the crackling venom told him to do - and it just _felt so good_ to obey it.

 _Time to eat shit, Shermie..._

As he approached the door, he heard screaming from within - _a familiar screaming?_ … that didn't matter right now. Shermie was behind that door. His blood assured him of it. It didn't matter what she was doing, because she was going to stop and die once he burst through and punched her in the skull.

Filled with confidence, he kicked down the door.

...

...

… _ugh._

All at once, his bravado left him.

Because the atmosphere was chilling. Cold as the dark. There was something nasty in this room - nastier than anything he had encountered. It was the lair of some beast. Even that roaring man in his blood was put on edge. The hairs on the back of his neck stood. He felt his fists shaking. He narrowed his focus. Time slowed down. He stepped tentatively into the darkness.

" _Hhhnnnnn..."_

A sound from the back corner. A slow keening.

Rock swallowed hard. The wound in his shoulder suddenly began to sting. The euphoria was wearing off, and Rock was beginning to think this was a bad idea. He probably should have just gone back to the hotel instead of trying to kill Shermie - a fighter who his father had begged him not to cross. _Just what were you thinking!_

He flinched at the sound of cold liquid splattering on the concrete floor. Ragged gasping rang out in the dark. The sharp white flash of electricity fizzled out. He recognized that voice… someone he knew was gasping in the corner… _who…_

"Who's there!"

A low, sultry chuckling answered him.

" _Is that you Rocky, mon gars~"_

Shermie. She was standing there in the dark. Had she been waiting for him? Her voice seemed to float around the room. Just hearing it caused him to be angry. Rock narrowed his eyes and peered into the darkness, searching for his target.

" _I certainly didn't expect you to break out and come here… did you come to join your girlfriend?"_

Rock frowned, biding time for his vision to adjust. Why was it so dark in here?

"My girlfriend? What?... You mean Seirah?"

There was a long moment of silence. Then Shermie began to laugh. Rock could see something heaving in the corner.

" _Ohhh… ohoho~ So you didn't come for your little bitch girlfriend… Whatever could you be here for?"_

Rock focused on it, he clenched his fists and growled into the darkness.

"I'm here for you! You kidnapped me, and I'm going to punch you in the face."

The laughing continued. Rock felt his blood run cold.

" _Corny, but respectable… heheh…. Ahahahahaha~ Ohh, Little Bitch girl… your boyfriend isn't even here to save you. He's here for me~"_

"What are you talking about! Whip isn't even here! Come out! Nobody gets to kidnap me! Nobody gets to murder me! I'll break your neck!"

Rock howled into the darkness, trying to bouy his spirits. He focused on that heaving form - It was the only thing he could make out, and he set it as his target. His vision was starting to tunnel and things were beginning to blur into each other. Shermie's disembodied voice was laughing. Rock gritted his teeth and glanced around nervously. _Where was she?_

" _Perhaps you're more of a man than I thought… Come then, kill me - before I kill her~ "_

The lights flashed on.

…

...

...

A glance, and cold nails pierced his heart.

Then, pure rage filled his head.

Rock screamed in despair, and flew - roaring- at the cackling woman.

* * *

 _GUESS WHO"S BACK NEXT CHAPTER?!_

 _kk: So Rock's got a condition known as "Being the Son of Geese Howard". Obv, blood is pretty important in the Kof universe, and certain pwers come along with certain family lines. (ie, Team Murder. Chiz. etc...). I read up on Gooseman- A coursory browse of his wiki page tells me he's just ultra good at earth energy manipulation. At least, better than Rock. it also seems that when Rock Uses too many of his Dad's techniques (which honestly I don't really see the diffrence between his and Terry's) his gets a little Goosey and feels pain._

 _Well just now he murdered somebody and is pretty much taking full advantage of his pedigree. Pretty much breaking his moral creed (or whatever, since he hates dad) He has better control over the earth energy - and the quality of such energy is more violent (these are my own liberties I took, because I didn't actually want to do research.)_

 _Thankfully, it doesn't come with voices in his head. He just gets really mad. (This has happened before... like every time he punches Iori lmao)_

 _K... let's see how many chapters I can write today kek._


	54. DOOMGIRL

_guess who's back Bay bee!_

 _Leona is pretty much doomguy, but female._

 _Don't worry Rocky, Doomlady is here to save yo ass_

 _RiP aNd TeAr_

* * *

"Leo, Commander says you're just going in for extraction. No messing around, okay? - Especially not after what happened last time. Your _Padre_ will not only have your ass, but mine as well if you screw around."

A curt nod. Ralf assumed she had given an affirmative and after a pause, continued talking into her comms. They were in Chinese airspace, and would arrive on site in a couple of minutes. Back at base, Leona had been grounded and made to peel potatoes for the past week. Now, she got lucky. Seirah had radioed in two hours ago for support, and she was the only one unoccupied, and capable enough to run a solo mission.

 _Ah, well... technically not unoccupied… I was peeling potatoes._

Up ahead, Ralf hammered off information she already knew.

"Seirah hasn't seen real action for a while, and she mentioned she was under equipped. Our wee lil Whippy might be a little out of practice, so she might be in a bit of trouble. Go in there carefully Leo. No guns blazing. Keep things down low if you can. alright?"

A pause. Ralf was waiting for a response. Leona sighed and un-muted herself.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good to hear your voice soldier. Heh."

That didn't merit a response.

The helicopter descended over the operation zone and hovered about thirty feet above the rooftops and Leona pulled open the Hanger's door. The roar of wind and the thudding of the helicopter blades filled her ears and shook her vision. The fall was dizzying. She hopped out and fell to the rooftop without a moment's hesitation.

 _*thud*_

She felt the impact travel up through her knees, and cushion into her hips. The jolt was welcome. She had been squatting on a low stool for the past week and really needed some strenuous exercise to kick her body back into gear. The helicopter lifter away and went to hover somewhere. Leona's comms crackled to life.

 _*Leona. Can you hear me?*_

"Roger."

 _*The rooftop isn't a great LZ, but if you clear it - it will work. Call me when you're done here.*_

"Roger."

 _*Good luck soldier.*_

Leona muted herself and knelt to the ground. She quickly pulled off her backpack and set it down in front of her. Inside was a disassembled rifle, ammunition, two knives, a lockpick and a first aid kit. She put the rifle together and loaded it with a disturbing efficiency, then stashed the rest of her weapons. In just a few minutes, she was ready to begin. She stood and scanned her surroundings from her rooftop.

The sun was beating down hard at mid-day. She was wearing black kevlar. It was hot, but Leona routinely dealt with worse. There seemed to be little to no activity in the shipyard. It looked like everyone had gone home for the day. Normally, that would make her job easy - but Whip had informed her that there were armed guards in the building. It was likely there were guards in some of the surrounding buildings as well. It was best to move quietly.

 _Ralf said her GPS signal was pinging from the back of that warehouse... I'd better get there fast. And undetected..._

Leona wasn't particularly afraid of being detected, even by armed guards. She was wearing kevlar, so if she wanted to, she could charge them, and fight them bare handed with no problems. She had done it before... but today Ralf asked for stealth, so she was going to give him stealth. Whip had reported there were 18 men in the building before she went offline. That was her goal, then.

 _18 targets, no alert… fine._

Not a particularly lofty goal… but it would probably take twenty minutes if she had to look for them. Five if she didn't. Then she would go extract Whip… and maybe get her ' _potato duty'_ sentence cut short for a job well done.

 _I hope so… Cutting potatoes is boring..._

She sighed and jumped off the building, fell another three storeys and disappeared into the shadows of an alley. She shook the kitchen related trauma from her mind, and narrowed her focus.

The mission started now.

* * *

 _She's so wonderful._

 _She's also kind of a musclehead._

 _:0_

 _I bet she could crush walnuts in her bicep._


	55. Sweet Farewell

_0.0_

* * *

 _Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit_

Rock was utterly panicked. He didn't know what to do. He had never dealt with something like this - something so gruesome and horrendous. All of his confidence and bravado had drained away and he had all but broken into tears. The high was over, he had crashed - and had crashed hard. Just ten minutes ago, Rock thought _he_ was the dangerous one in this compound… yes, he was strong. Yes, he was actually stronger than Shermie!… but he didn't have the stomach to even think about what she did. What she was capable of.

He stared at her downed form with something akin to horror. She didn't seem to care that she'd nearly been torn in half. She lay there, disemboweled with her guts spilling over the concrete floor, and laughing at his disgust. Her voice now, was the same sultry voice she had used just a few days ago when she had grabbed hold of him and asked to borrow his eyelashes to test some of her mascaras. Her expression was the same as always: Confident, vain, petty and playful. If she wasn't drenched in blood with a knife's hilt buried in her eye socket, Rock would have never imagined she was on the brink of death… _re-_ death.

There was no remorse in what remained in her face. Not pain, not even discomfort. She chuckled up at him with a voice too calm and easy to be produced by those ruined lungs.

"Awww, You won the game, little duckling! You look _so adorable_ all riled up like that~ If I could, I'd pinch you! Hehe~"

Her flippancy grated on his ears, he had beaten her, but she didn't seem to care. He wanted to strike her again, but he couldn't. It would have made his heart sick. There was already enough blood spilled today. Shermie was torn asunder, blown to bits by that horrid venomous energy that flooded his head and crackled through his veins just moments ago. Her torso was a couple of paces beside him, leaking rancid blood across the floor. Her legs and abdomen were against the far wall; they were thrashing about and obviously out of her control. She saw him twisting to stare at them, and tsked.

"Ah, don't mind those. It's a tad scary, but I promise they won't hurt you~ " She lifted a broken arm to touch her lip and attempt a ' _cute'_ gesture. She seemed disappointed when her arm seized up, and began thrashing in the same fashion as her legs. "Hmph. "

Rock's voice came out with a croak. He was kneeling on the floor and cradling Whip's trembling form against his chest. When he first burst into that room, he had focused on that heaving form he thought to be Shermie. It wasn't Shermie. It was Whip, gagged and hung from the ceiling by her wrists. The moment the light's went on - he saw her. She was beaten, nearly beyond recognition. There was blood everywhere, and the room smelled of burnt flesh. Who knows how long Shermie had been torturing her…

That wasn't the worst of it. Burns would heal. Bruises faded… and Whip was strong. She could deal with the psychological shock. But… _but her eyes!_

Rock twisted and shouted at Shermie, trying to mask his despair with anger.

"You… _Why? Why would you do this!_ "

Shermie continued laughing, but this time, her voice was clearly ethereal. Her body had given up, and now even the head and torso were thrashing so violently, they were merely blurs. Bits of flesh and blood flung from her abandoned body as it whipped it's limbs about. Rock scooped Seirah up and carried her clear of the terrifying remains of their enemy. He needed to get her to a hospital. She wasn't bleeding much, but many of her lacerations were blackened and cauterized. Her skin was angry, red and tender, likely from Shermie's electric shocks.

But... her eyes.

 _Ah shit! Fuck! ungh..._

Whip's eyes had been gouged out. He saw their remains crushed on the floor. Rock could hardly look at her face anymore. It was painful just to see. The torn, sunken eye-lids drooped into her orbital cavity. Dark, coagulated blood caught in her eyelids and left muddy streaks down her face. The sight of her, the one who had come to rescue him, maimed to this degree was almost more than he could bear. He had never felt so guilty in his life. Was it his fault? If only he hadn't been stupid and listened to Terry, when he told him to steer clear from CYS. To stick close to Iori... _You idiot! Aagh!_

He held Whip close. Her head drooped against him, and his white T-shirt rapidly began turning red. Her movement wasn't fluid like it normally was. Her fingers were rigid, frozen and twisted. Her whole body shook, trembled. Rock wasn't sure if she was shaking from fear - or if it was involuntarily. She was disoriented too- perhaps a concussion? She hadn't spoken a word to him since he rushed in and cut her down from the ceiling. _Does she know who I am?_

"Why did I do it? _Ohhh,_ Rocky dear?... Why do you think?..."

Shermie's voice spoke from the shadows. It was beginning to waver and grow faint - as if she were returning to the hell she had come from. Rock gritted his teeth and fixed his eyes forward, refusing to turn and listen. He heard Shermie's bones snapping and flesh slapping wetly as it convulsed on the floor. He didn't want to see anymore of it, he already knew he would see it tonight in his nightmares. He turned his back and stood carefully to make his way to the door - careful not to slip on the ground. It was slick with seawater.

Behind him, Shermie continued. Her voice was gleeful.

 _I did it because I'm strong, and I wanted to. That's the kind of world we live in~_ "

Rock refused to acknowledge her or reply. He needed to get out of here, because Whip - who until this moment had done nothing but lay trembling in his arms - seized the front of the shirt and choked out: " _Rock… g-go!"_

He obeyed and shouldered open the door. As he hurried down the hallway, Shermie's voice echoed after him.

" _Ta-Ta mon gars~ I'll see you next year."_

* * *

 _Ta-ta :)_

 _Floppy Shermie Out!_


	56. The Good Soldier

_Tiny Itty bitty revision/edit/clarification in ch 49. This is what happens when you write too fast._

 _Sorry, and enjoy._

 _btw tahnks for reviews all. tbh I had no idea some of you guys even read this lol._

* * *

Leona exhaled and slowly stood up. She didn't even glance to her feet, where her latest victim lay. She flicked her knife, waited to hear blood splatter on the asphalt below, then sealthed it. That was seventeen. It had taken her 16 and a half minutes. For whatever reason, fourteen of her eighteen targets were all gathered in a large warehouse, just mooching around a large, important looking (but empty) box, like they were waiting for someone to shoot.

She was quite proud that she had managed to pick off 6 of them before the remaining nine got nervous. She found it strange that with a group that size - they hadn't thought to patrol the perimeters. However, from how the force moved - Leona knew they were well trained. Some even ex-military.

 _They looked like they were guarding something… but there was nothing in the box? Strange… oh well…_

It wasn't a perfect stealth run, since she had been spotted several times, but frankly - Ralf didn't need to know that. Leona's chief concern was getting out of potato duty.

No... actually, her first priority was to rescue Whip. Then came Potato duty.

 _Yeah… Hm? What's that?_

A noise rang out near the back of the room. Leona frowned, then drew her firearm and padded silently toward it, aiming down sights. She waited to hear any movement before she quickly rounded the corner and checked the room. It was small and concrete. There was a window to the left, which let some air and light in. The subject of the room was one of those cheap - metal foldable chairs. Upon it was a dirty towel. Beneath the fabric, something was buzzing and clattering against the metal. Echoing loudly.

The vibration of a cell phone?

… _hm…_

Leona glanced at her watch. She wasn't pushed for time - she still had 2 minutes before she hit the 18 minute mark she gave herself. She checked the floor for traps, then approached to lift the towel with her muzzle barrel.

As suspected, it was a phone, and it was ringing.

The caller ID?

 _Iori (Band)_

Leona blinked, then shook her head. This was likely some sort of trap. Who's phone was this, and why would Iori be calling? Did the people here know she would be coming? Did they know she might be tempted to pick up? Impossible. She pulled out her knife and slid it underneath the phone, checking for wires.

 _Clean._

She picked it up and stared at it, watching it buzz until the call went to voicemail.

 _Is it really him? Stop it Leona._

She huffed to herself and pocketed the phone before turning on her heel and continuing through the building. She had killed 17 guards, she had yet to find the last one. Perhaps Whip had counted incorrectly and there was more than one running about, so she took mental note to remain careful. Leona hadn't had time to bring too much technology with her, since she left in such a rush - otherwise she would have brought her GPS tracker. Whip was tagged when she retired from the combat force and became an intelligence asset. IKARI knew of her whereabouts at all times.

 _I thought I grabbed it… oh well. I'll just have to search carefully…_

Leona shrugged, adjusted her vest, and continued onwards.

* * *

 _It took Yag 9 chapters to get a new cellphone._

 _Imagine Leo picked up? nah - it wouldn't help. She's also out of the loop lmao._

 _Btw, Shermie is long dead. Her body slapped itself into red mush about half an hour ago._


	57. The Good Doctor

_Originally ch 57 and 56 were together. but it kinda got long, and i changed POV halfway through._

 _Don' really like to have 2 pov in the same chap. I dunno. Sorry the previous one was short. that's the reason._

* * *

Rock was sweating bullets.

Not because he was tired - although carrying Whip was absolutely a liability - but because he heard loud, heavy footsteps pounding down the hallway ahead. As he traveled through the building, he had encountered the bodies of several guards. Some were the ones he had attacked. Others, he assumed Whip had taken care of. Rock knew for sure he had killed that first guy. That he could justify to himself. The man literally tried to shoot him full of holes, and Rock's retaliation was clearly an act of self-defense.

 _But… what about the others?_

Now that Rock thought about it, some of those who he attacked in his eagerness to get to Shermie didn't even see him coming. Some even looked confused at his presence. One had seen him running around, shrugged, and just continued to read his newspaper. Did _he_ deserve to die? _Hell, I don't think he expected me at all!_ _Dammit!_

 _("Is anyone here? Is anyone alive? Ah God!")_

The running guard was yelling in Chinese. He sounded really stressed out - likely from finding the bodies of his colleagues strewn about. He was getting closer, and Rock quickly turned into one of the side rooms. With Whip at his side, there was no way he could fight. The bullet wound in his shoulder further incapacitated him. If that man caught sight of him, they were both dead.

 _("Hello! Guys? Please! Dammit! Fuck, Kam! What the fuck did you have us guarding?!")_

Rock pressed himself against the wall, hoping to blend into the murky shadows. The open doorway was to his left. The hinges looked old and rusted, and the door was missing. Hopefully the man, in his panic, would only look in from the outside and decide there was no need to further investigate.

The footsteps were coming closer, Rock held his breath and placed a hand over his mouth. Whip, although sightless, seemed to be present enough to know what was going on. She remained still and silent, not moving a muscle. Rock watched the shadow of the man walk past the doorway.

 _("Anyon-... Huh? Is this blood?")_

Rock was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the man had stopped. The man called out again, but Rock couldn't understand what he said. All he knew was the footsteps were getting closer, and the man would soon walk into the room. They'd been discovered! Rock felt a silent tear leak out as he brought Whip tightly against his chest. He turned away from the door, hoping to at least shield her from whatever came next…

*thump, thump, thump...*

 _("Huh? Who are you!? Hey!")_

Rock half turned to look down the muzzle of a rifle. The man behind the rifle looked confused, as if he wasn't expecting to see them here. Was he not in on this plan? Rock stared warily at him. It wasn't as if he could do anything to fend the gunman off at this point.

 _("You… Kids?... Hey. Why are you here? You can't play here… Are you... an American? Can you understand me?")_

The man continued asking questions, even though Rock could answer none of them. He approached slowly, all the time his rifle pointed at Rock's head. After a long moment, Whip's trembling form came to view. The man exclaimed, shocked.

 _("Oh no! Why...What happened to her?!")_

He quickly put his rifle away, kneeled down beside (a very shocked) Rock Howard, and pulled out his phone. He made a call, which from his demeanor - appeared to be for an ambulance. From his tactical vest, he produced a small bottle of alcohol and a roll of bandages. He made a motion, requesting access to Whip, and Rock allowed it - because he saw only concern in the man's eyes. Clearly, this guard had no idea who Whip was, or that they were enemies at all. Perhaps the rest of the guards didn't know who she was either… Was this all Shermie's doing?

 _Were they just random… guards?_

The guard continued talking to himself as he treated Whip's wounds with professional efficiency. Clearly, he was a medic. Possibly a military medic.

 _("You poor thing… hey, we're going to get you to a hospital soon, hun… Damn… you got burned too? What kind of bastard did this to you? Miss, Can you talk?")_

To Rock's shock, Whip opened her mouth and croaked a reply. Clearly, the man was trying to keep her distracted with conversation as he poured disinfectant over her wounds. She realized exactly that, and was entertaining him. Rock was privy to none of what they were talking about, but regardless, breathed a sigh of relief. The crisis was over. He was tired, and he was thankful. Somehow… _somehow things are working out_.

Rock collapsed into a sitting position against the wall and thanked every higher power he could think of. He had let his guard down entirely, and instead of watching the doorway, he watched the Chinese Medic clean the area around Whip's eyes.

 _("Hey, USA. Hold this.")_

He startled as he was handed a fistful of gauze and a flashlight. The Medic pointed at his patient, and waited expectantly for Rock to fiddle the flashlight on and provide the necessary light. He shone down the light, and tried his best not to look too closely at Whip's wounds as the Medic worked. After a while, the man looked up at him, and spoke.

 _("Alright, America. Hold up her head for me.")_

Rock looked dumbly at him. He offered some gauze.

 _("No, no… uh I mean, dammit. Ugh… you should learn Chinese.")_

The medic gingerly lifted both bloodied hands, and threaded them behind his head - careful not to actually touch himself. He indicated toward Whip with his chin. Rock squinted at him - trying to figure out exactly what he meant. Just as he was about to offer gauze again, something narrow and black flew in from the doorway - so fast, that Rock almost missed it among the gloomy shadows.

("Her head? Lift? Pick u-")

 _*SHUNK*_

 _..._

 _..._

Rock's mind went blank and his mouth fell open. He dropped his gauze and stared at the Chinese medic with wide eyes. He hadn't even realized he'd begun crying again until he felt a droplet hit his leg. Just a moment ago, the man had been kneeling over Whip and talking animatedly with both of them - trying to comfort her, and trying to get him to help. Now, suddenly…

 _*thud*_

Silence.

A woman's emotionless voice spoke from the doorway.

"Eighteen. Last one down. Mission Accomplished."

* * *

 _Thanks for saving us Leo._

 _We love you._

 _;(_


	58. RULES OF NATURE!

_(Drums!) AND THEY RUN WHEN THE SUN COMES UP!_

 _(Screech) WITH THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE_

* * *

Rock leaned his head against the Taxi's glass window and stared out, watching the foreign cityscape flow past him. Everything just seemed so peaceful, so normal. People were walking around, eating things, buying things, working, going on with their lives. Just this morning, Rock had been part of that world. The world of ' _normal'_. The world of the mundane. In that world - Iori Yagami being awful and cringy was the worst thing he had to deal with. Sure, Rock had imagined an entire novel worth of terrifying conspiracy theories, but the reality was - he was pretty much taking a cushy vacation on his boss's dime.

 _Dammit! Shit!_

But now… Rock Howard had left that world behind. Not by his own will, of course. He had no choice! It was either kill, or be killed. It was nature's purest law - the Law of this world. The strong survived, and the weak perished. The strong consumed the weak - and that was it. Savage victory. Savage defeat. Today, Rock had stepped down from the mundane, and tasted the primal.

 _Why… why didn't I just listen to Dad…_

Rock wanted to scrub that primal victory from his brain. He hated it, but what he hated even more was how euphoric he had been while running through that compound. Why was it that he felt so much despair when Whip's eyes were torn out, but none when he liquified the newspaper guard's brain? Weren't they all the same? _Where's the sense in that? What the fuck is wrong with you, Rocky!?_

Rock fixed his eyes outwards, and chewed on his tongue until he tasted iron. He wanted nothing more than to erase this morning's events from, not just his memory, but from this very existence. The experience wasn't simply traumatic. It wouldn't go away if he forgot about it. In fact, Rock was unsure if he was even _allowed_ to forget about it.

He, at the tender age of 19, had changed lives.

Blasted them to bits.

By his hand, wives had become widows and children had become fatherless. Was he allowed to walk away from doing something so severe, and just forget about it? Continue to live life as if he hadn't just ruined who-knows-how-many others?

 _Rocky… dammit Rocky… what now?_

He gritted his teeth and pushed his nose into the crook of his elbow. He slumped against the window and stared out from behind the bend on his arm. He kept his eyes wide open because he felt involuntary tears rising again. He hoped the air conditioning would dry them before they could leave more trails down his face. He didn't want to cry anymore, especially not with the Taxi driver watching him from his rearview mirror. Could the driver tell he was a murderer? Could he smell the stink of sin and death clinging to him?

Rock closed his eyes.

Everything had happened so fast.

Leona had come in and killed the Chinese Medic. Rock saw her as she did. Her face was stony, cold, emotionless. She didn't seem to realize or care that he was a person. She didn't care that he had a kind heart or that he was helping Whip out of his own goodwill. _Hell!_ She didn't even flinch upon seeing Whip's grievous injuries, or the gaping holes where her eyes should have been.

 _Is she… even human?_

But when she turned and saw him staring at her in horror, and undoubtedly crying all over himself, she didn't just glaze over him like she did everything else…No, she rolled her eyes. Scorned him as if his emotions were nothing but a meaningless liability. In that moment, Rock felt he knew what sort of creature Leona Heidern was. He felt he understood a bit about the kind world she inhabited.

 _A top predator…_

He would never forget that glassy stare. He knew, just by looking at her, that if her mission called for it - two knives would have flown through that doorway. Sparing him was as easy as killing him. On her whim, He could very well be laying on the ground beside the medic with a knife's hilt lodged in his forehead.

 _Scary… IKARI is scary…_

Rock gripped his forearms about himself and shivered as he recalled the incident. It was all but burned into his mind. The moment she walked in, Rock had scurried to the corner, he covered his mouth with both hands and stayed as silent as possible as she looked down at Whip's beaten body like a beast looking at a crushed flower. She took inventory, then with a couple of terse words indicated to her colleague they would be soon leaving via helicopter. Whip seemed strangely robbed of emotion as she responded, and was carefully picked up and carried out.

 _Whip too, but… she's not like that… Seirah came for me, to rescue me… ugh-_

That was the last he saw of Leona Heidern. After handing him his cell phone, she didn't spare him a second glance as she walked out of that room with Whip balanced over her shoulders. Rock was left to his own devices. Left to fend for himself. He remained in that room - trembling and dry heaving, until he heard the howl of an ambulance arrive on scene. He squeezed his eyes shut and held on to his knees until he was grabbed and strapped to a gurney.

 _I wanna go home…_

The hospital had been a blur. He had gotten a few stitches and some painkillers. The receptionist spoke broken English and got him a cab. Now he was headed back to the hotel. He didn't know what he was going to do once he arrived. He didn't know how he was going to deal with-… _just with everything._

He just wanted to curl up and sleep.

* * *

 _ALIIIIIIIVEE! WOOO- oo- OOAAAHHH_

 _NO CHOICE!_

 _(DRUMS!)_


	59. Sstaii Saiff

_I had too much fun with this_

 _I always have fun with Yaggo boi_

:smiley_face_with_three_hearts:

:smiley_face_with_three_hearts:

:smiley_face_with_three_hearts:

* * *

It was six in the evening, and they had finished concert setup early. Normally, alone, it took Iori ten straight hours to arrange everything, but with Yashiro helping him (apparently being a ' _gentle giant'_ worked wonders in convincing people to do things?) they had finished a solid two-and-a-half hours early. Iori would never confess that he was thankful for Yashiro's company- but today had been significantly more enjoyable than the last time he was consigned to set-up duty.

 _He's a better conversation partner than Riot, at least…_

Now that he was in a decidedly good mood, Iori wanted nothing more than to get drunk and hit the hay early. Tomorrow was rehearsals, and given he wanted to keep his passive-aggressive liar employee, that meant Iori was going to make Rock Howard practice so much, he'd be singing the songs in his sleep for the next week and a half. Being a slave-driver was also tiring.

 _I wonder what the little bitch is up to now... ugh_

Iori was laying splayed across one of the lobby couches, and waiting for the butler to get him the shots of liquor he'd ordered. He understood that he was being profoundly inconsiderate by taking up an entire three-man couch on his own, but he _really_ didn't care. He knew he was getting tons of dirty looks from the people shuffling about in the crowded lobby. That's why he opted to place a cushion over his face. He knew it was a bit of a childish tactic, but was legitimately proud of this innovation.

 _I should do this everywhere._

"... Sir?"

The butler. Iori sat up so quickly he felt the blood drain from his head and he was subject to a slight dizzy spell as he made a snatch for his shots. Thankfully, he managed not to spill any of them in his haste to throw them at his liver. As he downed number three, he saw Rock Howard stagger through the rotating doors and slowly shuffle toward the elevators. He looked gaunt, and… _really hungry for some medium rare prime rib with horseradish sauce._

Coincidentally, Iori was also craving a medium rare prime rib with horseradish sauce.

Coincidentally, that's exactly what he had for dinner last night at the In house restaurant about ten feet away. Riot assured him that all three things could not have happened by pure chance, and some higher power was dictating he should elbow his way through the crowd, and drunkenly demand Rock share dinner with him tonight.

 _Great idea._

He still had about fifteen minutes before all three shots hit his brain, so his elbow strikes were quite accurate as he made his way through the crowd. Rock was up ahead, nervously staring at the elevators when Iori caught up to him, grabbed him by the shoulder, and nearly scared his soul right out of his body.

"B-boss!? Oh God… "

Rock jumped back, hit the wall, then shakily lifted both hands to cover his face. He remained like that for a short moment before lowering his hands to glare tiredly at Iori. Iori might have given him sass for that, but he was feeling happy from drunk, and Rock was dressed very, very interestingly.

Iori blinked at Rock's shirt, made sure it really was splattered in blood, and decided to comment on it.

"Wow, kid. You sure had fun today, huh? You kill someone?"

Rock blanched. Iori didn't notice and laughed at his own inside joke. Riot laughed too.

"Okay, let's eat dinner. Come on."

"Boss… I, uh. I feel sick. I'm gonna sleep it off, so go ahead and eat withou-"

 _*DING*_

The elevator door opened and Rock froze as he saw Yashiro step out and catch sight of them. Earlier today, Yashiro had this concerned look on his face ever since they arrived back to the hotel. Iori was convinced he had misplaced something, so didn't ask questions when his companion went searching a bit ago. It looked like his search had brought him back to the ground floor - and the three of them stood there blocking access to the elevator.

Rock glared at Yashiro. He had turned white started trembling.

Yashiro stared back at the teenager. He was studying the boy carefully, and his concerned expression intensified into suspicion.

Iori was just thrilled he'd have three people to share his medium-rare-prime-rib-with-horseradish-sauce with and promptly (read:forcefully) herded them both into the restaurant for a fantastic three-way dinner date.

* * *

 _Yag will probably use this opportunity to be a stupid drunk, and also to tell Rock he's not interested in a romantic relationship._

 _Very helpful Iori._

 _Thank you._


	60. Wanderer

_Kensou hit the jackpot of crazy girlfriends haha_

 _All yalls wondering why there's a Kensou chapter outta nowhere?_

 _Cuz I wanna torture the poor bitch._

 _SIMPY!_

* * *

It was nearly evening when Sie Kensou's phone went off.

It had been ringing nearly non-stop for about an hour, and Kensou had a good idea who might be calling him. This morning, he had gone touring around Shanghai with his heavily pregnant aunt, and had actually enjoyed himself for the first time since this tour started. Even when he parted ways with Aunt Kam, Kensou opted to wander aimlessly in the streets rather than to go back to the hotel, and reunite with Athena.

 _She doesn't need me… she's told me that often enough… why is she bugging me…_

Kensou sighed and leaned back against his chair. He was sitting in a restaurant, alone, eating a serving of very fluffy belgium waffles and cream. He had been snacking nearly constantly as he walked along the city's main tourist attractions. It was comforting being back in his home country. Although nobody knew him, he felt a sort of kinship here. It wasn't a moment he was going to let Athena ruin. She normally had tyranny over his life anyhow. She was just going to have to find someone else to yell at for a day.

 _Maybe she'll yell at Iori… ugh… how did things end up like this…_

His phone in his pocket stopped ringing, and Kensou felt a wave of relief wash over him. Athena had a presence. When she was on stage, she ruled the place with her beauty and elegance. When she was angry, it felt like the fires of hell were licking at your heels. She was a severe person. Severe in everything she did. Work, Play, Love. Everything.

And one thing she was sever about was maintaining control of him.

In the beginning, Kensou had been so starstruck that he not only tolerated such behavior, but even welcomed it! But now, after five years of explosive tantrums over tiny things, Kensou was beginning to grow bitter. Among Athena's vast range of psychic powers was telekinesis. She could project images into the minds of others. This skill had little use outside of ' _telling a story really quickly'_ as thus far, it proved unable to trick or manipulate anyone. However - should the receiver allow such probing - Athena could even read thoughts.

Kensou normally let Athena read his thoughts- although she normally didn't care to. She used it to keep track of him, and to ensure he was doing her bidding. It really was the most toxic relationship. Auntie Kam was so angry when she heard of these things, she bashed her teacup on the floor and ranted at him for the next thirty minutes.

 _Auntie Kam is really good to me… haaah…_

But he wasn't going to take it forever. He needed a break. Today's little escapade was his little rebellion against his Idol. He had cut his mind off from hers. She couldn't find him. She couldn't speak to him. For all she knew, Kensou had decided to take a walk and never come back. Perhaps she was feeling uncertain? Perhaps she was regretful? Hopefully she'd spend some time thinking about how terrible she had acted toward him, and amend her ways. Because frankly that job Aunt Kam was offering him didn't sound like a terribly bad idea.

 _At least I'd have some self respect…_

Kensou looked down at the second Belgium waffle and listlessly began slicing it up and feeding it to himself. He wanted to be tough. He wanted to stand his ground. One part of him felt a sort of satisfaction at the idea of Athena panicking without him. Another part wanted to go and comfort her and be there for her - no matter the consequence to himself… did he really love her? Is this what love is? Give _everything_ you have. Empty yourself. Pour yourself out… and when your lover decides to curl her nose and roll her eyes, just smile and do it again?

 _Ken… Ken you idiot. Stand up for yourself. If Athena needs me so badly, she can treat me better… don't worry about her feelings, okay?_

Kensou's phone went off again, and his mouthful of waffle became a mouthful of ash. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth.

 _She's worried I abandoned her… would I actually leave if she begged me not to? I do a lot for her career, and she hardly pays me. She would never ask me to go - but… she doesn't love you Ken. She wants to use you. That's it._

Still… perhaps he really did love her, or perhaps he was a glutton for punishment. Maybe he pulled out his phone out of a mere force of habit. He glanced grimly at his screen, and blinked.

 _Aunt Kam?_

Woes forgotten, Kensou answered the phone.

"Auntie? It's Ken. What's-... _Auntie? Are you okay?_ "

She was sobbing into the phone. Kensou dropped his fork and forgot about his food entirely to decipher what his aunt was trying to communicate as she cried.

 _*Ken… (sob) Oh, Hubby! I just… (sob)... he's… (sob)...*_

Kensou stood from his table and began walking out of the food court. He had visited the Kam residence several times, so he knew it's general location. It was nearby, not even a couple of blocks. Auntie Kam hardly cried, so this was probably serious. He tried to console her as he power walked.

"Auntie, take a deep breath okay? Try to calm down. Are you hurt?"

She spent a few moments more sobbing, then slowly lightened up. She needed to take several deep breaths at his instruction before she became understandable. She was still blubbered as she spoke, and Kensou was reminded his Aunt was heavily pregnant. Did pregnancy subject one to mood swings? He wasn't sure, but was certain he had read it somewhere. _Maybe Athena's pregnant… wait… but who is she sleeping wi-_

Kensou's thoughts were interrupted and he quickly tossed them away to pay attention.

 _*Ken, I don't think… I don't know how I'm going to go on… *_

"Auntie, get some water. It's okay. We're all here for you. Even if you feel sad, me and Mr. Kam will-"

At the mention of her husband's, Mrs. Kam suddenly began wailing again. Kensou was shocked, and frowned into his cellphone. There was a _*chirp*_ as Athena called for the 12th time, and Kensou quickly declined it with something bordering on scorn. _What happened to Mr. Kam?_

"Auntie?! Are you home?! I'm coming!"

 _*Ohh… my hubby!... he would never hurt anyone… ohhh...*_

Something had happened. Something bad. Was he maimed? Given Aunt Kam's reaction, likely not. She was a strong woman and had more of a stomach for violence then most. After all, she _was_ a member of the Shanghai Triads. Once, her loyalty was called into question, and they demanded she chop the last joint of her pinky off on a cutting board. It was told she did it without the slightest hesitation. Physically, she couldn't lift a boulder - but her resolve could move mountains.

 _*They killed him… some military bastards… they went in and strangled my hubby… Ken… Ken I have nothing left...*_

There was a rattling in the background, it sounded suspiciously like the noise of pills shaking in their container. That got Kensou worried. She was pregnant and moody, her husband had just been killed, and she was playing with pills. _That's not good._

"Auntie Kam, I'm coming. Don't do anything!"

 _*Ken... I'm useless now. The Triad doesn't need me… I'm finished. It doesn't matter anymore...*_

"Auntie Kam! What are you thinking about?! Stop!"

He had broken into a full sprint and was barreling down the sidewalks without a hint of concern for the other pedestrians. He gritted his teeth. If Aunt Kam wasn't there, who else would take his side? She was the only one who really seemed to love and accept him for who he was. She was the only person who treated him like an equal, and not some second rate attachment to Athena. Kensou _needed_ her. She couldn't just die like this!

 _*Ken… I've written you into our will. You can have that apartment downtown… I'm sure you'll like it.*_

Her voice was soft, but firm. She had set her mind on this, and hell of anyone was going to deter her. Kensou needed to get there fast. He didn't reply. Instead, he shoved his way through a crowd of tourists and continued running full tilt at the tall apartment building four blocks away.

"Auntie! Wait! Just wait for me to get there! Don't do anything yet! I'm coming! Please wait!"

Kensou felt his legs aching and lungs burning - yet he couldn't stop. The heat was muggy in his lungs, and the sun beat down cruelly on him, yet he couldn't afford to slow down. He ran as if it were his own life on the line.

" _... Ken..."_

"Auntie Kam!"

" _Be good. Be strong. You've always been so sweet..."_

"Kam, Plea-"

 _*Click*_

She hung up.

Kensou cried out and pulled the phone off his ear to look at the screen. Kam's apartment building was still three blocks away, and Kensou had no way of going up if nobody let him in. He was desperate. He didn't know what to do. Athena had called for the thirteenth tim-

 _Athena._

With enough violence to crack his screen, Kensou jammed her notification and called the woman he had been ignoring all day, praying that she'd pick up. If she could teleport him into the apartment to save Aunt Kam, he wouldn't mind being stepped on for the rest of his life. He was still running, and felt sweat drop down into his eyes. He cried, but he was certain it wasn't just from the stinging irritation.

 _Athena... please... just this once..._

 _*Click*_

Kensou's heart leapt as Athena picked up. Her voice tended to become shrill when she was frustrated, and she was _very_ frustrated. On a normal day, Kenosu would have been terrified of confronting her while she was like this - but today, he didn't care. He would even interrupt her.

 _*Sie Kensou, do you have any idea how many times I called you? Who do you think I a-*_

"Athena," his voice was raw as he shouted over her. She stopped short. She seemed startled.

 _*Excuse me, well I-*_

"Athena, Help me! Please!... Please! I need you!"

She heard something in his voice and dropped the pretense. The shrill fell out of her voice, and she was suddenly deadly serious.

 _*Open your mental link, I'm coming.*_

* * *

 _:grimacing:_

 _(come talk to me on discord)_


	61. OVERVIEW (1-60)

_Hey guys. Not a real Chapter, but 60 chapters in, I feel we're due for a summary. I should have done this at the 50 chapter mark, but eh._

 _It's gonna be super awk if this story only lasts another 5 chapters... lel._

 _I dunno._

 _Enjoy the recap._

* * *

1) Rock Howard gets rudely pulled out of Calculus lecture by Iori (his new employer. He had been employed for about a month prior to these events) to go on a musical Tour with Athena Asimaya. Tour begins in Aus.

2) Rock Howard packs his things with 2 hours left before the flight takes off - no time to explain to his father. Terry wakes up, and only catches view of his son running away from home with a suitcase of his belongings, and jumping into Iori Yagami's car. Terrible optics. He also left his cellphone.

3) Athena and Kensou have decided to pick up the remaining band mates from the Airport (they have arrived in Aus). Enter Shermie and Yashiro. Yashiro tries to get Iori to eat Vegemite. Iori gets mad and throws the jar randomly. Unbeknownst to him, the jar's contents splatter on Athena and Ken as they walk in.

4) Athena tries to control her temper. Iori doesn't know why she is covered in Vegemite and asks her why she is greeting him looking so gross. She throws him at the ceiling and he screams his lungs out. Meanwhile, Rock is calling his father with Iori's phone to explain the events in ch2 (why he ran from home).

5) Rock follows Iori around Sydney as they run errands for concert set up. Rock is extremely tired because he didn't sleep on the airplane.

6) (Concurrent with ch 5) Iori Yagami suspects that Yashiro gave Rock Howard drugs - and his behavior now is a result of being high (he was just tired). Rock gets lost again. Iori gets mad and resolves to drop him at the hotel.

7) Rock gets tackled and taken back to the hotel once Iori finds him. He falls alseep, but is woken a couple of hours later by Kensou reporting that Athena wants to talk to him. Athena (who is taking the upcoming performance very seriously) probes on his prior musical experience over dinner, and is upset when he has none. Reveals that Iori has touted Rock as a musical genius. She angrily tells him he is not allowed to screw up.

8) Iori arrives back at the hotel after finishing Set-up. When Rock doesn't pick up his phone after many calls (phone left in FL), Iori threatens the front desk, and demands to be given Rock's room key. They are about to call the police when Rock walks out of his meeting with Athena looking terribly depressed. Iori takes him to go eat BBQ, and learns about the missing cellphone.

9) Rock has gotten a new cellphone and a copy of Iori's bank card to spend as he pleases. All Iori insists on is that Rock stop taking drugs (he believed the events of ch 5-6 were due to substances sold by Yashiro). Rock confusingly agrees. They begin the first concert rehearsal and Rock is consumed by stress. He goes a little crazy and punches Iori in the face before running out of the building.

10) With Rock bailed, and Iori angrily raging, Ken comforts Athena and assures her the concert will be okay. He confronts Iori and tells him he's going to need to fill in Rock's guitarist position. Iori begrudgingly agrees and begins going through the sheet music. Meanwhile, whilst running, Rock realizes he had just punched Iori and begins fearing for his life. He hides in a Starbucks with the intention of flying home asap. Runs into Yashiro - who reveals that Iori had set up this entire tour just to train Rock Howard, and Yashiro was there to fix things in case Rock screwed up on the guitar. Rock calls Iori in an attempt to apologize and save his job.

11) Rock asks to stay in band. Iori thought he was going to ask to fly home, and is quite thrilled. Says he's happy enough to Kiss him. Rock heads back to rehearsal with Yashiro. Gets nervous again because he doesn't want kiss.

12) They arrive back to concert venue, and Iori angrily demands that Yashiro stop selling drugs to Rock Howard. Yashiro doesn't know what Iori's talking about. They continue rehearsal until everyone gets hungry. Iori lets them out, and unbeknownst to Rock, sets up a mini concert in a crowded bar him to practice performing in front of people.

13) Bar concert starts, Rock loses some of his nervousness. It's a good experience. Later on that night (3am), concert stress comes back and Rock can't sleep. Terry is on the phone and calls Iori to get Rock some NyQuil.

14) Iori busts into Rock's hotel room with sleeping meds, and begins rambling about concert stuff. Rock gets stressed again, and, thinking he's sick, Iori calls an ambulance. Rock stops him, demands he leave and Tries to punch again. Iori chokes him out, and (angrily) tells him he'll take care of the concert stuff, and it's not Rock's place to worry. The next morning, Yashiro sees the bruises on Rock's neck and makes sex jokes.

15) Enter Leona and Whip/Seirah. Leo has big crush on Iori, Whip decides she likes Rock and resolves to go meet him. Meanwhile, concert is finished, and Shermie begins her campaign of sexual harassment. After the concert Rock is eating dinner with Iori, and yag gets a call. Gets depressed. Starts drinking. Says he's going to Africa and heads to the hotel roof. Rock thinks he's being scammed by Nigerian princes and getting kidnapped.

16) It's revealed that the call was Iori being sent to go to go murder some people in an undisclosed location in Africa to save Chizuru Kagura (Ivory Coast. Actually, IKARI is just in deep shit cuz Leona went awol, and Chiz hired out Iori to bail them out.) He has internal turmoil over the possibility of Rock discovering he's got a really high K/D.

17) Rock has been stalked to a pier and is being followed by Shermie and Yashiro who are getting their kicks by making him miserable. He runs into Seirah and Leo.

18) Seirah asks Rock to sign her hat. Rock is actually pretty happy to find a fan, and he signs it - only for Shermie to zap it into nothing with lightning. Whip pulls a gun and shoots Shermie in the gut. Rock runs the hell out of there.

19) Evening. Dad calls and Rock tells him some chick shot Shermie in the gut. (Terry at this point hadn't remembered who Yash and Shermie were, so he didn't flip). That evening at like 3am, Iori Yagami's unconscious body gets delivered by CIA(KP) agents and Rock is asked to sign off on him like a package.

20) Shermie Staples herself up, and is pissed she didn't manage to kill either Whip or Leo. Iori has a nightmare and instinct wakes him up to dodge Rock Howard's epi-pen attack. Rock tells him he's been blubbering nonsense and eating the curtains off the wall.

21) We go slightly back in time to where the CIA drops Iori Rock's room. Rock's sleeping on the couch when Riot wakes up and stands over him creepily. Rock wakes, and surprised, tries to punch him. He thinks iori might be sleepwalking. Riot bodyslams him and tries to give him a tooth in a failed gesture of friendship. Rock stabs him in the leg with EpiPen and Riot falls asleep.

22) Next morning. Kensou gives some insight on his fevered devotion to Athena. He's given everything for her, and is willing to sacrifice the well being of others for her comfort. kinda scummy tbh. Apparently she's been particularly temperamental on this tour.

23) Flight from Sydney to HK. Rock stuck next to boss, and trying to piece together evidence as to who Yag is. Iori is drugged up and passed out next to him. Someone walks down the aisle and fires a gun at Iori's head, scaring Rock shitless. Athena catches the bullet, and Iori wakes up to yell at his potential murderer. Rock recognizes that Iori knows his assailant, and suspects he has mafia connections.

24) Rock and Yag arrive in Hong Kong and are eating dim sum. Iori is tired but too scared to sleep in case he gets murdered again. (Can't sleep normally b/c nightmares. Afraid to drug himself for fear of assassins). Someone smacks into the window next to him dressed in tactical gear. Yag books it.

25) The person who hit the window was Leona. She's stalking. Whip follows after her, sees Rock as she climbs through the window and behaves condescendingly toward him. About 30 mins later, Leo finds Iori. He asks her to guard him while he sleeps. She's happy to oblige.

26) At the Ivory Coast, Heidern reveals that Leona has gone AWOL. He fears she may have defected. Heidern is reluctant to sent kill orders for his daughter, so resolves to keep his forces searching for her instead. If Leona hadn't decided to leave at this critical time - the NESTS pincer movement (which Iori was called in to help resolve) would never have succeeded. Ralf was the one who flew Leona out to HK. He gets interrogated by the Commander is it is implied he spills the beans

27) Whip is tasked with finding Leona. She sees Rock, and decides that he is going to help her. (Leo probably with Iori, Rock might know where Iori is) Unfortunately, Rock is unhappy with being treated badly, and refuses to deal with her. She needs to change her attitude fast, and ends up revealing Iori is an IKARI operative in order to procure Rock's help.

28) Leona and Iori are in the hotel room. Yag is unconscious, Leona watching TV and doing pushups - disappointed that this experience wasn't as exciting as she hoped it to be. She is about to leave the room to make a phone call when somebody smashes through the window and lands on Iori. Later, Perspective switches to Rock and Whip. They are knocking on Iori's door in their search for Leona.

29) Iori wakes up to find Rock, Leona and Whip fighting in his room. Rock thinks Leona tried to Kill Iori and is trying to fight them off. Iori wakes up, yells at everyone and kicks Rock and Whip out.

30) Leona does some first aid. It is revealed that Leona had killed the assassin (Hizoku Luan), but Iori got poisoned first. She had sucked the poison out of his wound, and gets a swollen tongue as a result. Iori gets her takeout Chinese food as thank you.

31) Shermie corners Rock, and realizing he's spending more time with Whip - decides to use him to get information on her, to kill her. She leverages what she knows about Iori to squeeze details out of Rock - and dampening his suspicion by claiming she's only interested in the drama.

32) Leona got flown back to IKARI base, and is about to get interrogated by dad. Chiz had called (At Iori's request) to do some explaining, and hopefully reduce whatever terrible punishment Leo was going to endure for fking shit up. Meanwhile, Whip is still following the tour, and Rock is trying to dig info out of her for Shermie. Whip lets slip that Iori was at the Ivory coast (but won't say what he was there for), and Rock is shocked because he thought his boss was just bullshitting about Africa.

33) Athena reveals she had a god(ess) complex and is not happy being ignored by Iori during rehearsals in favour of Kensou. Bemoans the fact that Iori comes from a rich ass mafia family, and has a successful career despite not seeming to care that much - while she works really hard. Kensou also gets a ton of shit and is pretty much called a miserable dog.

34) Rock goes to catch dinner with Shermie to do info exchange. Reveals that Whip is going home soon (date/time), and she's proficient with whip and gun. In response Shermie tells Rock that Iori is a mass murderer. Rock protests, and is told that if Iori finds out what Rock now knows, then Rock may be killed.

35) HK Concert starting. Shermie is discussing her plan with Yash - in that she wants to use Rock to lure Whip away and then proceed to brutally murder her before she goes back to the heavily fortifed IKARI base. Shermie reveals the reason she gave out Iori's nasty secrets to Rock so easily, is because she wants Rock to be too wary of his boss to ask him for help, or otherwise share any of his suspicions with his employer. (as the only people Shermie sees as a real threat to her are Yag and Athena).

36) Kensou is getting fed up with Athena, and writes a letter to his Auntie Kam - who is pretty much his only family who hasn't disowned him. He outlines how he is treated like a servant, and despite being the secret 'boyfriend' is not allowed any of the privileges that title entails. Additionally, because everyone knows she treats him badly, everyone looks down on him.

37) Iori just finished concert cleanup. Rock played like absolute garbage, and Yag concludes that something must be bothering him. He realizes that there is tons of drama going on, but is too busy to get involved - so he phones Rock and asks him to come debrief. He's tired and orders some coffee before falling asleep on the lobby couch.

38) Rock is terrified that he now needs to confront his employer - who he has reason to believe is a mass murderer, and might kill him if he gets wind of what Rock knows. He enlists Whip to come with him and step in if anything gets hairy. She agrees, but only on the condition that he repay her with many favours. They find Iori asleep, and Rock wakes him.

39) Iori - now awake - questions Rock as to why he was off pitch during concert. Rock gives non-answers. Iori is getting annoyed because he's trying to help, and Rock won't talk to him. Instead, he gets mad, and accidentally slips that he knows Iori went to the Ivory Coast (Whip told him). Iori asks him why he knows that, Rock lies and gets caught in his lie. Iori is feeling much less benevolent, and tells Rock if he screws up the next concert, he's fired.

40) Yag calls Chizuru Kagura, and asks her what he should do with Rock. Chiz tells him to stop being a hardass, as it's expected to screw up the first time on a job. She advises him not to bring up his murder-y side jobs at all, and makes him realize that Rock only lied to him because he was afraid for his life. Chiz tells him to spend some time with Rock to teach him notes and stuff - and show that he cares.

41) Rock calls Terry and tells him he is in danger of losing his job, and possibly his life. He discusses with Terry his predicament. Terry tells Rock that he seriously doubts Iori is a serial killer with scary secrets, and just tells Rock to ask Iori about it. Then he fixates on CYS - recognizing them to be the same ppl who almost destroyed the world several years ago - and warns Rock to stay away from them. Rock brushes off the advice.

42) Mr. Kam is part of the Chinese Mafia and is talking to his boss. He explains the plan to collaborate with band insider (Shermie) to kidnap Rock Howard and lure Iori and kill him. It takes place tomorrow. His wife - Mrs. Kam, Kensou's aunt, is heavily pregnant and plans to meet Kensou tomorrow for lunch.

43) Band is flying from HK to Shanghai, on the plane, Iori is going over sheet music with Rock Howard. Yashiro agrees to help Shermie with her plan to get Whip by keeping Iori occupied, such that Whip went chasing after Rock and fall into the trap - not Iori.

44) Kensou meets his Aunt for lunch in a noodle shop. Complains about Athena and how she has been yelling at everyone ever since Rock screwed up HK. Aunt Kam reveals her unborn son's nickname is 'Xiao Bao zi" (small meat bun), as they hadn't decided on a name yet. Mr. Kam is running a mission right now - and Kensou and Kam wish for his safety, as the son will be born soon.

45) Rock wakes up early to work out, because the concert had been terrible to his physique. Iori is in the gym with a whole bunch of bodyguards his family sent to follow him around, and they point their guns at Rock before kicking him out of the gym. Rock decides to go running instead.

46) Shermie is lying in wait for Rock Howard with her Mafia people planted and ready to kidnap him. She shares that getting shot in the stomach is not the only reason she wants to kill Whip - but also because IKARI has hunted and killed herself and Yashiro many times already. The only reason she's been able to live a relatively normal life now was because Iori told IKARI to fk off while CYS is with him. After some time, Rock returns from his run, walks through the hotel doors, and is promptly tranqued and captured. Whip is still on the airplane and will be landing soon.

47) Iori and Yashiro are in the taxi running around trying to set up concert. They argue with each other for a bit, before the conversation turns and Iori attempts to call Rock to assure him he is not interested in a romantic relationship with him. Yashiro stops him by telling him Rock is underaged, and breaking his phone.

48) Whip lands in Shanghai and is upset that Rock isn't there to pick her up after he promised to. Whip reveals a little bit of why she likes Rock, then hops in the taxi resolving to find him and kick his ass for failing to pick her up.

49) Whip is tracking Rock's phone GPS and finds herself in a shipyard. She is spotted by Mr. Lim (Mafia). Mr. Lim is pretty annoyed that they are wasting time trying to kill Iori (who he only knows as some pop star with Yakuza family ties). Kam tells him that they are trying to curb Yakuza power by killing their head, it is revealed that Luan was sent by them. Lim is sent to go investigate Whip and ask her to leave. She ends up getting surprised by him, and slitting his throat. It puts Kam on alert.

50) Rock wakes up locked in a shipping container and proceeds to scream his head off in order to attract attention and hopefully get let out. His behavior pisses off the guards watching over him, and they resolve to kill him right now so he shuts up.

51) Whip is sneaking silently through the building picking off members of the mafia. She feels a presene following her, but as it is dark, is relying on her thermal goggles only. Shermie has been following her, and since she's dead she has no body heat. Whip gets suplexed and taken away - but not after stabbing Shermie in the eye.

52) The container guards who were guarding Rock just shot up the side of the container in hopes of killing it's occupant. Rock had avoided the gunshots by pure luck, and gets so angry, he taps Geese's blood. He kills a few guys and resolves to go after Shermie.

53) Rock finds Shermie in a dark room and goes on edge. Shermie asks him if he's here to save Whip - Rock tells her he doesn't know what she's talking about, and he's here to get revenge for being kidnapped. Shermie tells Rock to kill her, before she kills Whip and flicks on the light. Duckling attacks.

54) Enter Leona. Her punishment for going AWOL was peeling thousands of potatoes. She got Whip's call for backup and is now getting flown in by Ralf. She lands on site, and starts working. Her mission is the put down hostiles and extract Whip.

55) Rock has blown Shermie into two halves and is freaking out because Whip has been tortured and got her eyes gouged out. Shermie is laughing at him as she dies. She tells him they had a Good Game, and that she'd see them next time she came back to life.

56) Leona has killed 17/18 soldiers. Mentions that most of the soldiers were strangely guarding an empty box. (Kam did not debrief them). Leona finds Rock's cellphone and Iori calling (Iori bought a new phone). She pockets it and continues searching for Whip and her last target.

57) Rock is trying to sneak out of the building undetected, when he hears a man yelling in Chinese and running down the hallways. He hides in a room, but a trail of blood leads the Chinese man to his location. The man is a medic who was tasked with guarding the box (Iori Yagami was supposed to go there and get shot) and freaks out when he sees Whip - thinking they are just two kids who got caught in the crossfires. He administers first aid before being killed by Leona.

58) It is evening and Rock is on the way back to the hotel. He reflects on the events in the shipyard. He develops a fear of Leona - who he sees as an emotionless killer. Leona takes Whip and leaves for the helicopter. Rock is left there until the ambulance (which medic called) arrives and brings him to hospital (he got shot in the shoulder and stitched up).

59) Iori and Yashiro get back to the hotel. Yashiro looks for Shermie - expecting her to be back by now - while Iori gets drunk. He sees Rock walk through the doors and apprehends him at the elevators just as Yashiro comes down. Yashiro is suspicious of Rock, and Rock is scared of what Yashiro might to if he found out Rock killed Shermie. Iori drags them all to go eat dinner together.

60) Kensou is still out and about by evening getting bombarded by calls from Athena. He is reluctant to return to her side. Aunt Kam calls, crying, and delivers news that Mr. Kam has been strangled (Whip's whip). She then proceeds to attempt suicide by taking pills. Kensou calls Athena and begs her to help.

* * *

 _Right. Next chap is back to our regular chaos._

 _Stay safe everyone_


	62. An Eyeball for an Eyeball

_MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA(x7pgs)_

 _WRYYYYYYY_

* * *

Of all the fancy restaurants Rock had the privilege of dining at, this one was by far the most high-class. Before going on tour, Rock would never have dreamed of fine dining at this calibre. He felt it was too far away from him. He was a home chef, and obviously not a particularly good one given how easily his father fell back into his McDonald's habit.

… _tuxes everywhere… I'm underdressed. Again._

The Sydney hotel's restaurant was a fairly typical buffet. Mashed potatoes, grilled sausages, tasty, but uninspired stuff. Hong Kong's " _Deem Saum"_ was fantastic, but the experience was a bit spoiled by the tremendous amount of farm animal genitalia on the menu - which he had accidentally ordered. He also didn't know how to use chopsticks and thus ate with all the grace and finesse of a barbarian.

Now, despite his rather… frazzled state… he found himself seated on a white leather sofa with his back to the modern fireplace. This restaurant didn't have chairs. It had sofas. He was sharing one with his drunk boss. Across from them was Yashiro - who had been observing Rock carefully for the past twenty minutes. Rock was trying to behave as un-suspiciously as possible and was forcing himself to admire the restaurant decor to keep his mind off his recent murder.

 _Candles everywhere… are they real? They smell like vanilla… dammit is he still staring at me? I wish I could change my shirt…_

Rock sighed and looked sheepishly down at himself. His current outfit was possibly the worst he had ever worn in public. Smelly gym clothes bathed in equal parts sweat and blood. The hospital didn't give him a new shirt before they taxi'd him back to the hotel, and Rock didn't have the guts to go wandering on the street with a credit card in search of new clothes, so he intended to change when he got to his hotel room. Naturally, he didn't make it there before he was pulled into the fanciest restaurant he'd ever stepped foot in. To make things worse, for the first time in his life, Rock Howard was dressed more inappropriately than Iori Yagami….If only marginally.

 _A tiger print wifebeater that says "Ask Me about my Feminist Agenda"... where does he get this shit?_

Iori had apparently noticed Rock looking in his direction, (really, Rock was just trying to look anywhere besides for in Yashiro's direction) and laid the menu flat to read him the options. He had his _new phone? -'s_ flashlight shining down on the menu and disrupting the restaurant's carefully arranged ambient lighting.

"The... meat today? … prime rib with horseradish sauce… lobster tail, seafood… octopus, Urchins, crab oil… "

Rock pretended to be engaged, because - by the looks of it - Yashiro wasn't convinced by his ' _everything is normal'_ act. Perhaps it was because when they first locked eyes in front of the elevator, Rock had begun trembling so violently he looked like he had parkinson's. Maybe it had been too obvious he was trying to keep Iori between himself and Yashiro on their walk through the lobby. Maybe it was the giant unexplained bloodstain on his shirt...

 _Ah shit… what am I supposed to say if he asks me…_

 _Iori_ hadn't asked him about it because Iori smelled like alcohol. He wouldn't be doing anything remotely reasonable for the next half an hour. Yashiro, on the other hand, was dead sober - and was gazing at him with an intense and serious stare. Rock refused to meet his eyes.

"No sheep dong here for you bud… sorry, but jellyfish, and snow pea… liver!"

Shermie was dead. Rock had killed her with his own two hands. Yashiro had yet to find out, but clearly he had been looking for her when he came down the elevator not twenty minutes ago. Perhaps he had expected her to return by now? Perhaps he wasn't in on the plan at all - and was just confused… _Well, if he knew then obviously he would have come help her fight… right?_

"Liver! Hey, Liver!"

Given Yashiro had spent the day with Iori doing concert set up, then surely it was safe to say he had nothing to do with Rock's kidnapping. Yashiro was quite attached to Shermie, so naturally he would never let her go into a fight alone. He was likely just confused as to why Shermie wasn't in their hotel room… _yeah, he has no idea that any of this happened._

Rock drew a breath and calmed his nerves. He set his mind to act on this assumption, and tried to relax… but the way Yashiro was glaring at him betrayed the man knew more than he was letting on. He opened his mouth to speak, and Rock prayed it was mere small talk.

"Where's your girlfriend, Rock? I'm surprised she's letting you eat with us."

… _Dammit._

Rock pretended to be extremely interested in the menu, and answered offhandedly.

"Oh, she uh…" Rock thought for a moment, "She got called home."

Silence. Silverware clinked faintly in the background. Rock could taste the bitter tension filling the air. It made him think he had just said something incriminating. He gulped and didn't meet Yashiro's eyes.

"She got sent home…hm."

Rock glanced over to his boss and grimaced. Terry had said Iori could protect him should CYS ever turn hostile. Normally that might have been the case, but currently Iori had his forehead pressed against his dinner plate, and he was muttering nonsense to himself. He wasn't going to do any protecting. In fact, he was a roadblock. If Rock wanted to escape this place and run, he would first need to clamber over his semi-conscious employer.

"For what reason did Whip get sent back to IKARI?"

"W-what?"

"Perhaps to tend her injuries?"

Rock paled. He replied forcefully to mask the tremor in his voice. Perhaps far too forcefully. His mind was racing a million miles per hour, but it didn't seem to matter. Yashiro seemed to know more than him. Everyone always knew more than him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Just leav-... I don't know, okay? Stop asking."

Rock met Yashiro's gaze. What he saw in that man's eyes was deep and vicious. He looked like Shermie in her last moments. Dark, nasty, capable of infinite evil. It sent an involuntary shiver down Rock's spine.

Yashiro smiled at him. It was a nasty smile.

"You know where Shermie is."

Rock turned away. He felt a droplet of sweat run down the back of his neck.

"You know what happened to her. Tell me."

Silence. Rock stared down at the menu and cursed himself. He flinched as he heard the clack of something hard hit the table. He looked up.

 _A pebble?_

Yashiro had pulled a small river stone from his pocket and placed it on the tablecloth before him. In the same breath, he plucked up a chopstick and poked Iori in the head. There was no reaction.

"You're on your own right now, Rock. Now… "

The pebble lifted off the tabletop, and before Rock's very eyes, it began to twist and elongate into an increasingly sharp corkscrew spear. It slowly turned toward Rock and took aim at his throat like a compass' needle searching for North. Yashiro tapped his fingers against the tabletop and glared him down. The needle began to spin like a drill.

"Tell me. Where is Shermie?"

Rock eyed the needle. He stuttered a reply.

"I...I don't-"

Yashiro interrupted him. The needle kept spinning

"Ah, no… that's a dumb question. If Shermie were alive, Whip would be long dead, and you'd be sold to some trafficking ring. No… Tell me, who killed her."

The needle spun, it began gaining velocity until it's corkscrew grooves were nothing but a blur. Rock pushed himself against the back of the couch and gulped. He glanced over to his boss. Out like a light.

Yashiro's expression was beginning to grow more and more fierce. His voice became guttural, and Rock could swear he felt the earth tremble beneath his feet. The man spoke with little volume, but it was nevertheless terrifying. There was hate in his eyes. He hissed.

"Brat. Tell me. Was it your IKARI girlfriend? Or the blue haired bitch? An entire battalion of those bastards? Tell me where to find them! I'll send their base into the pits of hell!"

Rock's hands shook. He choked out his denial. Whip had risked her life for him, he wouldn't dare lie and put her life in danger.

"It wasn't them… It wasn't IKARI. Don't blame them!"

"Then who!?"

Yashiro's eyes were like a pair of live coals. He suddenly seemed so much larger than he was, as if his spectre had transcended his mortal body. He towered. Rock squeezed his eyes shut and lied.

"I don't know who… but it wasn't IKARI."

Silence.

Then, Yashiro's voice - which until this point had been a source of comfort and camaraderie to him - whispered, cold and dreadful.

"Then… you're useless."

The needle whistled as it flew.

"Farewell."

* * *

 _Lmao, Rock almost dies in every episode._

 _Nah jk._

 _Yag is out, but guess who isn't?_

 _(lennyface)_


	63. A Toothball for a Toothball

_I forgot how much I love Riot._

 _Name Guide (tbh it's pretty easy to tell, but in case you skim):_

 _King/the master/the host/the body's host = Iori_

 _Ducking/Ducky/Duck/Rocky = Rock_

 _Earth man, Earth man Yash = Yashiro_

 _Paint = murder/blood/violence_

 _Riot best bae._

* * *

 _*Crunch*_

"D-d-d-d-duck! Kakakakaka"

The ' _king'_ had fallen asleep - he had drunk too much again - and normally Riot was quite happy to simply relax alongside and not cause trouble. He had just come home from another one of those military field trips a couple of days ago- and this time, he had so much fun, he didn't mind laying low for a while. He had his fill of ' _paint'_ … and guts, and was quite grateful to the host of this body for allowing him such a fulfilling experience. He was sated. Happy and full.

"Ducky Ducky!"

But right now was different. Right now, he was needed. There was more blood to be spilled, and Riot was always happy to spill it. He was always watching from behind ' _king's'_ eyes. He knew his master's every thought. ' _Duckling'_ was a very cute and adorable bird, and Iori wouldn't like him to be speared through the throat by ' _Earth Man'_ Yash. That would be bad. At least, Riot was pretty sure it would be bad.

"Happy? H-h-happy?! Ducky die! Ducky not Die!"

So the moment the needle flew - Riot's instinct fired off. ' _Earth Man'_ s act of violence triggered Riot's reactions with lightning speed. A flash of flame - the spear was goop. It splattered all over, raining molten lava over the two of them. Bodyslam. Little duck was laid flat on the bench. He caught some of the hot goop on his arm, and yelled in pain. Riot wondered at that. Could heat case pain? What was pain anyways...

" _Ahh! Shit. Oh god, I-Iori?! What are you doi-urmph?!"_

Ducky looked scared. He was talking too quickly and Riot didn't understand a word he said. He patted the boy (heavily) in the face with his palm in an attempt to comfort him. It didn't seem to be working. It seemed to only make things worse.

" _Who… who are you?! Oh my god! S-stay away! Get off me!"_

Oh well. King would handle Rocky later on. Maybe the master would know what the boy was saying. Right now, Riot had bigger problems to tear to bits and splatter the walls with. He fixed his eyes on ' _Earth Man'_ Yash and let go of Rock to clamber atop the table. Things crunched and shattered as he observed his target's wary reactions. Earth man said something, but Riot was already all pumped up. He wasn't about to change his mind now.

" _Riot… Riot, calm down buddy. It's me! Don't you remember me? Your buddy, Yashiro… Hey - go… uh, why don't you-"_

Riot didn't hear anything his victim said. He couldn't suppress his excitement and tossed his head back to cackle.

"Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka… _Eaaarth!_ "

It was time to paint with ' _Earth Man'._

How exciting!

* * *

 _This is a really good way for Iori demonstrate to Rock that he is neither a murderer, nor is he dangerous in the least._

 _Thanks Riot. We appreciate it._

 _Don't drunk when demon posessed._

 _* also, Riot's military field trip is his trip to the Ivory coast - in case you didn't catch that. Yag has got a murder quota to fill for Riot to be happy._

 _:)_


	64. Jailbait

_Great big fatass Chapter._

 _In case you haven't noticed, Iori Yagami is my favorite character, and I like it when he ruins things and makes everyone around him miserable._

 _k_

* * *

Rock had seen Iori Yagami fight before. His matches during KOF were highly televised. He was always precise, he was quite fast, he was very offensive. If somebody managed to feint him - then they could land a hit or two, and he wasn't particularly hardy. A good knock to the skull put him down. Chi-blasts that covered large radiuses were a weakness. He had trouble against grapplers. His flames were seldom used - and when they were, it was purely defensive. That was the summary the tournament proctors wrote about him… and for a long time, it rang well and true.

As if the whole thing was a play, and he was faithfully playing his part.

But one year, Iori Yagami leapt into the ring and gutted Kyo Kusanagi on live television. He broke the illusion. Tournaments had tried to make combat a team sport, but this act of deranged violence made it clear that fighting could never be friendly. The characters had rebelled against the script and things got wild, fast.

The next year, the two rivals, in their rage, nearly scorched the sky as they tried to tear out each other's throats. It wasn't a match. It was a _battle_. The fearful display was _nothing_ like the fighter's profiles. Kyo Kusanagi had his own little part to play - but he had broken the rules too. They had outed themselves, and as industry veterans, they single-handedly changed the landscape of tournaments. No longer did the dedicated martial artist hope to claim the prize. No longer were supernatural powers mere party tricks to wow the audience…

Tournaments were no longer contests of skill and performance … Sportsmanship went out the window. So did friendly rivalry. Teams pitted against each other with the utmost vehemence. Nothing was off limits… because now, the contest was one of _pure,_ _raw power._

And monsters from all corners of the earth crawled from their hiding places to compete. To display their strength to the world. To strike fear in the hearts of their enemies. The arena - which had previously been a place to build a clean and honorable name - was now strewn with blood and viscera. Men have died on that stage. Blown to pieces. Cut to ribbons. Shot to bits. KOF became a true blood sport, and the spectatorship and the cash prizes grew ever larger with each passing year.

Strangely enough, Iori Yagami went back to play his old role. He put away those flames, and returned to precision slicing. Surgical strikes. Defensive bursts of power. Perhaps he didn't get the memo - but after facing Kyo once, he never filled the arena with flames again.

But against all odds, he was _still_ amongst the best.

 _He's not an anomaly… he's not some normal guy going against monsters, even if he pretends to be…_

Rock had joined this band with a vague fear of his employer's abilities. Fire, hot enough to melt bullets in flight. Strikes, sharp enough to cleave steel… but in two months, Rock had seen exactly none of what the television told of. Iori hardly used flames. He hardly used his martial arts. He sometimes lit a cigarette, and he opened packages with his fingernails when they couldn't find the boxcutter. His most terrifying trait - in person - was his complete disregard for societal dress code.

To be honest, recently, Rock had begun to forget about how scary everyone claimed Iori Yagami could be. Terry had warned him. Shermie too. Whip mentioned it. Even _he himself_ realized it, but the many weeks of drudgery made him complacent. He began to think he knew Iori better than everyone else - and that the famously violent man _actually_ didn't like violence.

It was a foolish notion.

Iori Yagami was a monster.

And this moment was a powerful reminder of that.

It happened so fast.

Rock had never seen anyone move so quickly.

One moment, Iori was standing on the table cackling at the ceiling and splattered in molten stone. The next, he was in Yashiro's face and crowing victory. Rock could only stare in horror as his boss - who until this point had proven himself quite peaceable - thrust his arm so violently through Yashiro's skull that his hand cleared the back of his cranium. The crunch was sickening.

 _Oh… oh my god…_

Then, there was a flash of pale light.

A small explosion.

And everything from the waist up burst and disintegrated. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, shriveling in heat as they flew. A cry of horror raised from nearby diners as they were scalded with the unsavory fluids.

Rock could only stare. His heart sank cold in his chest. He was scared, but he was also deeply disappointed. He'd spent many hours assuring himself Iori wasn't actually dangerous - and now he felt his boss had somehow let him down.

…

Now, Iori was standing there, hunched over and alone. White ash floated down around him to settle into the plush carpet. A set of legs flailed about at his feet. There were bits of shattered bone scattered by the explosion. Iori - or whoever was possessing him - made a pleased noise, and squatted down to pluck up a couple of molars from the floor. Rock watched him pocket the teeth, and suddenly felt sick. His head began to hurt.

 _He… that's him! The guy I stabbed with the epipen… he could have killed me…_

The room was fearfully silent. People were rushing out as quickly as they could, and many were dialing on their phones. They seemed to sense Iori was like a wild, and dangerous animal - and should they cry out, he might target them next. Rock's instincts were telling him the same. Every nerve in his body was screaming at him to flee the scene as quickly as he could, but he was all but cornered. If he wanted to get away, the only path was straight through the Blood Riot, and frankly Rock wasn't taking that chance… even if it had just saved his life.

 _Why did it save me? Oh god, get down!_

Rock quickly ducked under the table, and watched the Riots movements from there. He pondered as he waited for it to (hopefully) wander off, and clear him an exit route.

 _Did it see me? Maybe he won't kill me… it seems to know who I am..._

This horrible creature, which had so brutally killed a man in the middle of a fancy restaurant, had very deliberately done so for Rock's own well being. There was no way for Rock to dodge that twisted stone needle. He wasn't even fit to put up a fight. Had Iori (or whoever this was) not stepped in, then surely Rock would have died right then and there.

… _Shit! Did he see me?_

Even so, Rock felt fear rather than gratefulness. In this moment, ' _Protecting Rock Howard'_ felt more like an excuse to shed blood rather than a command borne from goodwill. It was repulsive. Rock was repulsed by it. He cringed beneath the table, and tried to stay very still.

 _Dad… If you saw this, you would never have asked me to stick with boss… oh man…_

There was a creaking noise as Iori swiveled his neck nearly 90 degrees to hold Rock in his vacant gaze. There was no intelligence in his stare. No room for mercy, not even understanding. It wasn't the Iori Rock was used to. This was a different entity entirely. This creature's sole purpose was to kill, and it had fixed its eyes on him. The skin on its face was stretched tight, and its teeth and gums were bared in a horrible joker smile. Those teeth _*snicked*_ shut each time the Riot exhaled. Rock froze, petrified in terror.

 _Oh no no no no!_

It was walking towards him now. Slow, laborious steps until there was nothing between Rock and the creature but the dinner table. Rock willed his brave blood to rush him to action, but even that venom cowered. He was a sitting duck, cringing on the floor. There was noth-

"DUCK! HAPPY!"

The creature grinned at him hopped over the table to corner him against the room dividers. It stared down at him and reached out a gnarled hand. Rock pressed his back against the wall and tried to shrink into it. His breath was short. His hands were trembling. He shut his eyes and turned away… only to get his nose squashed in.

 _I'm dead… I'm dead… I'm dead… urmph… ow…_

There was a long moment of silence where the Riot stared at him. It jabbered to itself, as if deliberating. He glanced across the floor and briefly considered crawling away, but Yashiro's thrashing legs were blocking his way. It was throwing about steaming entrails, and was breaking chair legs with random strikes. Rock couldn't afford to get kicked. His only way out was _still_ straight through Riot.

Rock covered his face with his hands (to avoid more fact pats) and prayed to everyone he could think of that he'd survive this night.

… _oh dear Buddha, if you're real, please get me the hell out of here aliv-_

"OKAY."

 _...Look, I'm young okay, and I'm a pretty good guy - I mean, I never killed anyo-... I only acted in self defense, and..._

"BYE BYE. ROCKY."

His prayer was interrupted by a cackle. Rock cracked his eyes open to see the Blood Riot seated neatly on the bench beside him. It waved at him, then fixed it's eyes straight ahead and… _collapsed._

…

Just went limp as if it had just been knocked unconscious. It's head fell forward into the mess of shattered glassware on the tabletop, and Rock couldn't help but wince as he heard the crunch of what was certainly shards poking into its forehead. It remained motionless for a long while.

 _Is it over?_

It certainly seemed to be. Rock poked him in the shoulder with a chopstick, and when he got no response, seized the opportunity to try and carefully climb over his Boss's unconscious form. He could have climbed the table, but that was sure to make a racket. He could climb under it- but then he's have to deal with Yashiro's flailing lower half.

 _Okay… easy does it Rocky… just don't touch him, and..._

He had his back to the wall and one leg over his Boss's back, when the red-haired man sneezed.

… _oh no… please, just a little more. Is it the Riot again? Go Roc- ACK!_

"Ah, shit! Why is there glass everyw-"

Riot… no, _Iori,_ was clearly upset upon waking. He sat up suddenly to look about the room and seemed to be surprised by his own handiwork. Rock would have called out to him, but Rock was too busy trying to manage the pain as quietly as he could.

… _oh man..._

Unfortunately for him, when Iori decided to wake up, he all but squashed his employee against the wall. Specifically, the back of his Iori's head, _against_ Rock's crotch, _with_ considerable force.

In response, Rock yelped and flopped to the side. He accidentally kneed Iori in the ear as he dove to the floor. Clearly, Iori hadn't been expecting this. He whipped around, and grabbed hold of Rock's ankle - clearly ready for a confrontation.

He recognized Rock.

He frowned.

"Whoa… _Howard_?"

Rock lay the the carpeted floor and wheezed a reply. Iori let go of his leg. It hit the floor with a dull thump.

"... _Boss…_ "

Iori narrowed his eyes. Clearly, he was confused as to why he had just woken up to find glass in his face, and Rock trying to straddle him, but Rock was in too much pain to even attempt to explain himself. However, at this point - the pain of getting headbutted in the balls by his ' _sane'_ boss was much preferable to getting his intestines torn out by that crazy Riot creature. He felt his adrenaline dipping, and his nerves were no longer fraying. Frankly, he wasn't happy with his employer - but _was_ quite relieved Iori had returned to his senses. Iori gave him a strange look as he vocalized it.

"Oh man… _I'm glad… you're back._ "

"..."

Iori began to look suspiciously at him, then blinked and shook his head. He kicked over the table and stood to brush bits of stone from his shirt. The edge of the table squelched into Yashiro's leg, pinning it. Iori frowned at it.

"Yeah...No thanks, bud. You're pretty, but you're jailbait. Give it a couple of years and try again… by the way, what the fuck happened… where the hell is everyone, and why is there a leg here… is this a joke?"

"..."

There was simply too much to explain, and Rock was too tired to try. He picked himself off the floor and limped to collapse on one of the nearby chairs. Iori didn't seem to be offended by Rock's lack of response and simply burned the rest of the corpse before sitting to tend to the cuts on his face.

Rock shut his eyes.

It has been a busy day today.

He had killed. He had nearly been killed. He had watched people slay each other. He had watched people die. He was tired. He felt old.

He wanted to rest.

He wanted to slee-

"Hey...do you hear that?"

Rock opened his eyes to look wearily at the origin of all his troubles. He was _so tired_ of Iori Yagami. The longer he stayed alongside this man, the worse his life became. Sure, on paper, it was the dream job. He got paid a ton. He got to travel. He was already gaining fame and fortune, but honestly it _was not_ worth it.

Not worth it for a moment.

He was going to quit before he got arrested or murdered or-

Iori stood up and brushed off his pants. He sounded excited and started walking toward the lobby.

"Police sirens, they're here too… let's go check out the action."

 _... oh shit._

"Boss, stop!"

* * *

 _Yashiro convinced Iori that Rock was underaged, and afraid of Iori's supposed 'romantic advances' a few chapters ago in the taxi._

 _At this point of the story, Iori is believes that Rock is a gay, underaged druggie._

 _nice._

 _I dunno what you want Rocky. You wanna die? or watch someone violently kill your would-be murderer?_

 _This is a helluva long day for duckling :)_

 _Now they get to spend the night in jail XD_


	65. The Lonely Goddess

_Right. So I think I've set everything up._

 _Things are going to start on a different (more positive) path from here._

* * *

"It was Di-Dizapan…Diapam?"

"Diazapam. Valium."

"Yeah, what she said. It wasn't in Ms. Kam's prescription. It was her husband's - Kam Ah-Lik. Here's the bottle. We tried to give it to the emergency room staff, but they didn't take it."

The heavily bespeckled doctor nodded absentmindedly as he read something on his chart. The nurse, A fat, frumpy specimen, sighed from her post beside him. Athena noted how similar the nurse looked to one of the characters in the drama that had been playing on loop in the waiting room for the past two hours…

 _Ugh…_

Athena had been stuck in the hospital nearly all evening with her 'boyfriend', and she was beginning to get annoyed. Sure, she cared about Kensou's aunt… but not really. The woman had overdosed on _Valium_ , and you had to swallow a whole bottle to overdose on Valium... and even if you did, it probably wouldn't cause lasting damage anyways.

… _it's just standard antidepressants… nothing to worry about..._

At least that's what Athena had read off 'WebMD'. It was a supposed reputable site. Athena was no doctor. She didn't pretend to be one. Her healing abilities -although impressive - were both fairly superficial and extremely energy consuming. She could stitch wounds with invisible thread. Phase broken bones back whole… whatever she could see, she could likely fix.

What she couldn't see - she learned early on _not to touch._

Several years ago, she had been asked to heal cancer, and - being young and trying to make a name for herself - she agreed. She ended up accelerating the disease so dramatically, her patient died. Immediately. On live television.

Since then, Athena decided not to use her miraculous healing for publicity anymore. And if something wasn't used for publicity - then it wasn't to be used at all. The only time she busted it out was to make a dramatic comeback during tournaments. It always caused a stir. _Athena… the goddess, beaten and bloodied by her smirking brute of an opponent… he'd be looking down at her with contempt and victory in his eyes, when suddenly! A glorious pale light engulfs Athena and she floats above the stage - her wounds disappearing lik-_

Her _glorious comeback_ was interrupted by the doctor.

"Look, we know what she took. We see this shit every day. Some depressed housewife can't handle the news that her husband's cheating on her, so she drinks herself into a mess, then takes a fistful of antidepressants to make herself feel better. Sad, yes. Unfortunat-"

"Okay, so can you fix it? When will she be okay? The baby is due soon, and-"

Athena and the Doctor rolled their eyes in tandem. Obviously, the doctors would just pump this Kam lady's stomach, and then it'd all be fine. Get rid of all the Valium, and let her recover from her hangover. No big deal. Athena was more concerned about Kensou completely failing to thank her for saving his _precious Auntie's_ life. Honestly, she'd be fine with just an ambulance… there was no reason for _Athena_ to show up when a simple EMT team could take care of it.

Yet she did - and for what? To be ignored by her boyfriend?

 _Ridiculous._

The doctor spoke with his hands on his hips. The nurse patted Kensou's arm, and said much of the same thing.

"Look kid…I just need to talk to the husband."

"Sorry young man. Hospital policy. I know you care for her, but we need her next of kin. Would you call your uncle?"

Athena heard Kensou grit his teeth. She frowned at him and wondered what he was thinking. Kensou hardly showed this level of intense emotion. He was very, very level headed. No matter what you said to him, he responded the same way. Half smile. Even tempo. No anger. No frustration. Problems didn't faze him… but hell if he solved them either. He was Simple. Pure. Easygoing. Idiot.

So to see him making faces was interesting to say the least. Athena reached out a mental probe to see what he was thinking. She found herself shut out. That was… abnormal.

 _Whatever._ It wasn't as if being here was going to help 'Auntie' get better faster.

Athena patted Kensou's shoulder and reassured him in her most honeyed voice. He knew this city well enough, and Athena was hoping he'd find her some sushi and a med spa. Earlier today she had walked into the Hotel's spa to find it taken over by Yagami's Yakuza bodyguards. He had evidently dismissed them, and they were all wandering around the steam rooms and jacuzzis, naked, smoking and playing with soggy cards. She wanted no part in it - but she _did_ want a nice soak.

"She's fine Sie. We got here so fast. Don't bother the staff anymore. Can you find me a bathhouse?..."

The nurse glared at her.

Kensou… _didn't hear her?_ and continued to probe the doctor, who continued to refuse to answer him. She tapped him on the arm again. Of course he must have not heard her - because Sie Kensou _never_ ignored Athena Asimaya.

"Sie. Bathhouse."

Kensou still didn't stop talking to the doctor to turn and address her, _even_ though she was only a couple of feet away, _and_ clearly within earshot. She had even enunciated. She began to get a little irked. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be...

She tugged his arm.

He shrugged her off.

 _What in the world is wrong with him?!_

Athena was genuinely confused. Nothing like this had ever happened before. She always maintained a good relationship with Sie Kensou. Honestly, how many fans got to see her as much as he had? His life for the past five years was certainly a super-fan's fantasy. He got to experience not only the on-stage facade, but the ' _true'_ Athena as well. Honestly, he should just be grateful… and ignoring _her_ was _not_ grateful behavior.

"Mr. Sie, the drugs your Aunt took, plus alcohol, make for a really nasty combo. She's in the ICU, critical condition. Her kid's in NICU, stable. I don't know what to tell you, except that if she was trying to commit suicide… "

Athena huffed to herself and pondered. Perhaps Kensou was just too worried about being impolite to the doctor, that he ignored her interruption… no, no… he always put her first. That was how it always was. This situation genuinely puzzled her, and she deliberated whether or not to take another shot at Kensou's brain.

"-Then she pretty much succeeded."

The doctor was saying something. Somebody had succeeded. The procedure most likely. Great. Kam would be okay. No need for them to stay. Athena needed her soak. She piped up cheerfully. Unfortunately, she failed to pick up on the despair etched into Kensou's expression. He was mumbling something. She just spoke over him.

"So...S-she… she's dy..."

"See, Ken? All settled. We're done here. Now, find me a bathhouse, and book a reservation at the best sushi res-"

 _*SMACK*_

Athena reeled. She clutched her cheek in her palm, stunned.

It didn't hurt badly… but...

 _But who DARED to strike her... HER in the face!_

"You little witch! Could you be any more selfish?! This young man's Aunt is on her deathbed and all you're concerned about is your bath? You're a nasty creature, you! How dare you!"

The Nurse.

The piggy little nurse had just slapped _Athena Asimaya_ across the face with her fat little hand. She was shaking in frumpy rage. Her face was red as she shrilled. She was nearly hopping up and down… _disgusting._ Athena breathed out and gritted her teeth. She seized Kensou's arm from beside her, and demanded they leave.

Surely, this offense would be too much for even _him_ to bear.

"How dare I? No! Kensou. We're leaving! I won't stand for this! Come!"

She turned on her heel to walk away. As she pulled, Kensou's arm slipped out of her grasp. That shocked her more than anything. Why wasn't he cooperating?! What in the world was happening?! Now, even she was beginning to get angry. She had been _slapped_ in _public_ for god's sake! As her 'boyfriend' the least he could do was defend her!

 _He doesn't deserve to be called my boyfriend! He can't treat me like this!_

She turned back and crossed her arms over her chest. She silently glared at Kensou's back as if daring him to explain himself. They stood in stalemate for several long seconds before Kensou spoke. His voice was slow and steady. Not cheerful. Not melancholy. Even tempo. Even tempered. Controlled. Simple.

"Athena."

" _Kensou. Come on!"_

Silence.

"...Athena, It's been five years. It's been fun - it really has, but I think I'm finished."

Athena blinked. She wasn't quite sure if she was hearing things right. There was _no way,_ Kensou was standing there, with his back to her, and-

"I've had enough."

"..."

"Goodbye."

* * *

 _Listen carefully :grimace:_

 _K. time to give her some non-bitch classes lol._

 _I'm actually a little bit torn as to where to find a drummer :thinking_face:_

 _Review_


	66. Favors

Mega _bitch is here_

 _Chiz! Help!_

 _This chap is for all u guys concerned about whips eyeballs. Props to ya who figured it out already (nice, Rin)_

* * *

* _Heidern, my dear, even if you gave me the whole world, I wouldn't do it.*_

"Triple the cost of retail. Cash."

 _*Ohohoho~ Did you not hear me Commander? KP won't treat her because I refuse to. Do you think I don't remember the little whore? … Forget it. Don't waste my time. I'm a busy woman, and I have more important things to attend to."_

"Kagura! You-"

 _*Click*_

Heidern grimaced and slammed the phone down. He honestly hadn't expected Chizuru Kagura to help him, but it was worth a shot. Besides for NESTS - who Heidern was currently at war with, nobody else had the technique nor equipment to grow and implant a new pair of eyes. She did this sort of thing for her own (Iori and Kyo, the hellhounds) all the time. Iori especially had his parts changed quite often due to the tremendous amount of combat he saw. A new set of eyes was something quite simple for Chizuru to accomplish - but she refused out of spite.

 _Damn woman._

Seirah was an important team member, but without her eyesight, she was all but useless. If Heidern couldn't work out a solution, then she'd need to be discharged and her memory altered. Not just for her own safety, but for IKARI's security as well.

 _Always causing my trouble._

Chizuru Kagura definitely had something against him. Frankly, Heidern was convinced she had something against everyone. She was a brilliant tactician. She was a master plotter. She was careful, she was prudent, she never forgot anything… but she had a tremendous ego, and that made her petty and vindictive.

If only she had the temperament of a normal person, she'd be _so much_ easier to deal with... but then again, if she was normal, she likely wouldn't be the owner of KP conglomerate.

 _And, I admit, I'd probably exploit the hell out of them… but this woman… it costs her nothing. Does she truly want to hinder the war against NESTS for the sake of a petty grudges?_

The commander sighed and stood from his desk. It was a Monday afternoon and the jungles of Argentina were cool in the breeze of July. This morning, Leona and Ralf had flown out to respond to Whip's distress call. Heidern was honestly surprised that Whip needed battle support whilst accompanying Iori Yagami. Typically, that man's presence alone was enough to deter the majority of would-be enemies.

Evidently he had screwed up - because Whip came home missing two eyeballs and beaten halfway to death. She was currently in the infirmary, and the medical staff were working hard to keep her optical nerves intact. They had been scorched by electricity. It was a miracle such high voltage didn't cause any obvious brain damage, but frankly, if she had no eyes - she couldn't be an analyst anymore anyways.

 _Damn Kagura… do you remember who got you those cloning blueprints? Dammit! I need Kagura to do this for me! Hm…_

Heidern mused.

He could call the United States President -although the man was so swamped in other things, he likely wouldn't help. Additionally, calling on POTUS for a relatively small issue like this would possibly damage IKARI'S relationship with the US. That wasn't something Heidern was willing to risk.

 _Who does that witch listen to… I can't call country leaders for something like this… she likely owns alot of politicians in her area anyways, so-_

"Commander!"

Heidern turned to see Clark rush into the room and quickly snap into a salute. He had been at Whip's bedside for a while now - and as her commanding officer was deeply concerned about her well-being. He clearly understood how grave the situation was - and had approached with grim determination painting his features.

"At ease, Colonel."

"Commander, the nerves aren't holding out. We aren't going to be able to do traditional transplants. Did KP come through?"

"Not yet."

Clark's face fell. He read between the lines, he knew what had just transpired been Heidern and Chizuru Kagura… but it seemed like he needed to vocalize it anyways.

"Commander, we need KP. Even if we don't go through Kagura… use..."

Heidern sighed. Being the commander meant you made the tough choices. He had to look out for IKARI as a whole, and IKARI couldn't have weak links. If they couldn't proc-

"… the mafia or _something_. Please."

 _The mafia… Yakuza… Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi. Chizuru would do anything for them! Whatever they asked for!_

Heidern whirled around to address his Colonel.

"Where's Leona."

Clark blinked and grimaced.

"She's beating her hands bloody in the gym. Been punching that bag for hours. She thinks it's her fault for not arriving fast enough to save Seirah's eyes."

Heidern was surprised at that. He had trained Leona to be numb to all sorts of emotions - especially loss. She had already seen many of her close colleges die - and had always reacted with such frigidity, it bordered on flippancy. Chances were, in the heat of the moment, she had acted correctly… and was only mourning afterwards in her own strange way. Yet, the fact she was injuring herself (abeit only slightly) in the process was a problem.

 _Perhaps all this lovey dovey Yagami nonsense is making her weak… haah… well, Seirah first._

"Ask her to call her Yagami. See if he'll do us a favor."

* * *

 _iori Yagami is gonna help now?_

Bruh.

Poor leo lol. Y'all thought she was too cold - and daddy like not cold enough!


	67. Bright Light

_wow this chap got long_

 _kk, stuff starting to look up from here._

 _Iori will actually start being not-a-constant obstacle._

 _thanks yag._

* * *

 _*Brrrrr*_

Rock Howard was exhausted.

Not just physically, but emotionally as well. There was a film over his brain that made him feel as if nothing were real. Today had been so, so strange. He had seen things he wanted to unsee. He had done things he wanted to undo… he had learned things he wanted to unlearn.

Shermie and Yashiro. When he'd met them, they seemed normal, friendly, _sane_ if not rather provocative. Today, he had discovered they were evil, vile killers who could turn on a dime the moment the needed to. Both had tried to kill him today. Both had been killed.

Iori Yagami. Rock's Cash Cow. His golden ticket to fame and fortune. His initial impression if the red-haired man had been correct. He was a terrifying, and unhinged killer. However, the longer he spent in that man's company, the less carefully he took that warning. Today, Rock saw firsthand the kind of monster his employer was. He had also seen him get arrested (confused) in the lobby, and watched him be led away with something akin to disdain… because Rock _knew_ that if Iori wanted to resist arrest, those four police officers could be reduced to four steaming corpses in a matter of mere seconds.

 _He's pretending… always pretending…_

Rock Howard. Himself. He had learned about himself too. He had learned he was a killer. He was his wretched father's wretched son. He had grasped that wicked venomous power, and indulged in it. It flooded his mind. It poisoned his brain. That moment at the shipyard, when he was running through, attacking people left and right… _that person_ was the person Rock had sworn never to become. And… and look at him now? Was it worth it?

 _*Brrr*_

 _No._

Rock was going to Quit.

He was going to leave.

He had come here to learn music. He didn't want to learn about the Blood Riot. He didn't want to learn about Yashiro's terrifying earthbending skills. He didn't want to learn what sounds the body made when bursting from within. He didn't want to know what a crushed eyeball felt like beneath the sole of his shoe. He didn't want this. He didn't need this. Nothing could make him stay.

If Iori Yagami hadn't _just_ been arrested, then Rock would have already given him notice of resignation. If Iori wasn't back by tomorrow, then Rock was going to fly home out of his own volition, and just call to announce he had quit. He wasn't going to stay a single moment longer than he had to. His flight to SouthTown was booked for 4pm tomorrow.

 _*Brrrrr*_

 _Gaah!_ Who the hell was calling him! It was 2 in the morning! Wait- It was probably his Boss.

Rock rolled on his side and groped in the dark for his buzzing cellphone. His room was dark and cool, the drapes were pulled tightly over the large floor to ceiling window, blocking out the view of the city lights. Despite the thermostat turned quite low, Rock still found himself drenched in sweat. Could stress do that to a person?! Apparently so…

Rock viciously kicked off the sheet wrapped around his leg, and reached to grab his cellphone - nearly dropping it to the floor. He snatched it off the nightstand and answered without even checking the caller ID. If he had, he would have seen it clearly _wasn't_ 'Iori (Band)'.

 _*Click*_

"Boss! I quit!"

 _*... uh-*_

"I can't deal with this shit anymore! I'm done! I'm going home. You fucking killed somebody right in front of me. I almost fucking died like three times today! I'm done. Thanks, and goodbye!"

 _*Wait! Don't hang up-*_

 _*Click*_

He hung up, and glared at his phone's ' _recent calls'_ screen, feeling quite self righteous. After a brief moment, he realized his most recent call _wasn't_ from Iori Yagami. It was from… an unknown private number… hold on.

 _Oh… whoops._

Well, Rock wasn't about to call them back. They were probably scammers anyways. He sighed and rolled back over to continue in his struggle to get some rest. He closed his eyes and tried counting sheep. Eventually those sheep all grew fangs and began eating each other, so Rock tried normal counting.

 _10… 11… 12… 13… 60 bpm… no, probably 61… 17… 18…_

 _*Brrrrr*_

"..."

He was just about to doze off when his phone went off again. He sighed, and went to check the caller ID. It was the scammer again. He closed his eyes and pressed the phone to his ear.

 _*Click*_

 _*Don't hang up, Howard! This is about Seirah!*_

Rock blinked, allowing the statement to sink into his head. Once it did, Rock sat bolt upright and shouted into the phone.

"What!? Seirah! How is she?! Wait, who are you?!"

The person on the phone was male, older. His voice was grizzled and sounded quite serious. It also had a distinctly American accent. It he definitely didn't seem like he was selling anything. He also knew Seirah… _who the heck?_

 _*My name is Colonel Clark Still. I'm a ranking officer with IKARI. Whip, Seirah, is in my squadron.*_

Rock exclaimed, interrupting the man in his haste to discover what sort of condition his first fan was in. Although Whip had been quite pushy and strict, she had proven herself to be a good friend. Unfortunately, her loyalty and friendship resulted in her getting both eyes torn out by a lightning bitch zombie.

"Seirah!? Is she okay? Can you do anything for her eyes?! Is… is she _alive?_ "

Rock had stood to his feet, and found himself pacing the floor and wringing his hands. The man on the phone responded in a slow even cadence, clearly contrasting Rock's panicked garble.

 _*She's alive. That's about it.*_

"... so… so her eyes… you, you can't… get transplants or something?"

Clark paused. Rock stood still to wait for his response. He really did feel awfully about Seirah, as the only reason she had been in that shipyard to begin with was _him._ Honestly, Rock was still processing yesterday's events, and had yet to discover Shermie's motivation in doing all of this… But regardless, surely Whip would have never been hurt if only Rock hadn't been kidnapped.

 _*Well, we don't have our transplants yet. I'm calling to ask for your help.*_

"My… _my help?_ Uh… I mean… aren't there like… organ donors?... "

Rock blinked and grimaced. He did feel bad about Seirah… he truly did. But was this man on the phone asking him to _pluck out an eye?_ Because if he was…

Rock stuttered.

"I-I don't know if I can do that. I'm really sorry..."

Clark actually chuckled.

 _*I'm not asking for your eyes. I need you to pull some strings for me with your Boss. I'm sincerely hoping you haven't already told him you're quitting… *_

Rock exhaled a sigh of relief. He was glad he didn't have to make that kind of decision... then he frowned. How the heck was his Boss supposed to do anything? That man sure wasn't about to give up _his_ eyeballs. In fact, he was probably better at ripping them out then putting them in. Rock voiced his concerns.

"I...I haven't told him _yet._ But, um, my Boss is actually a musician. Not a doctor. Are you sure you called the right person?"

 _*He's the opposite of a doctor. I know. And yeah. Listen. I need you to find him and ask him a favor for us. We tried calling him, but he wasn't answering-*_

Rock interrupted him.

"That's 'cause he got arrested."

 _*Oh ...Okay. That's not a problem… Anyways, Iori Yagami has some powerful friends. Some of those powerful friends can get Seirah some new eyes. We were hoping you'd pull a favor for us before you quit.*_

Rock grimaced. Honestly he'd be quite happy not to ever talk to Iori Yagami again. He already had his ' _I Quit'_ speech written out in his head, and had already decided that was the last thing he ever was going to say to the red-haired man. But with this… Seirah could be made whole? He chewed on his lower lip before responding.

"... I'll help. Just… tell me what to say, and how to say it."

There was a pause as Clark shuffled papers about on his end.

 _*I need you to ask Yagami to call Chizuru Kagura and ask her to grow a set of eyes for Seirah.*_

"..."

Rock frowned and went to grab one of the hotel notepads. He put Clark on speaker and began writing.

"Wait, can you repeat that?"

There was a sigh over the phone.

 _*You can't just read something off a paper and expect it to work… look, Yagami probably doesn't have a clue who Whip is. His memory is shit with stuff he doesn't care about. I bet he doesn't even know she's missing. Am I right?*_

Rock thought for a moment then grimaced.

"Yeah… he has no idea. At least I'm pretty sure he doesn't."

A pause, and Clark grumbled.

 _*(damn bastard) Okay, Rock, you're gonna need to sell this to him. Got it? Look, Chizuru Kagura is the person we need. She is the CEO of KP-*_

"Wait… KP? Like, the big KP?"

 _*Yeah. The big one. She has technology that can grow a new set of eyes for Whip. I need you to get Iori to agree to convince Kagura.*_

Rock was scribbling everything down, and got caught on 'grow new eyes'. What? People could grow their own organ transplants? _Wait… is this real? Organ donors are a thing still… right?_

Rock paused. He threw a warning into his voice.

"Hey Clark."

 _*Yeah?*_

"So you're telling me this Chizuru Kagura person can _grow organs?_ Are you serious? Is this a bad joke? Why the hell is there a waiting list for transplants, huh?"

Rock could hear Clark gritting his teeth.

 _*You-...*_ a sigh, _*It's experimental technology, and extremely expensive.*_

" _Oh yeah_ , I'm sure it is… this isn't funny, man."

 _*I'm dead serious*_ another long pause. Rock looked suspiciously at his cellphone. _*Okay, uh, ever see your boss, I dunno, without a shirt?*_

"... yes? What doe-"

 _*Iori Yagami has been a fighter for almost ten years and he's got no scars. How do you reckon that? You've seen him get pummeled on TV - and I can tell you, he gets it worse behind the scenes - but the guy looks fresh outta the womb, all the time. Ever notice that?*_

Rock hadn't, but now he was thinking carefully. Terry - his father - had tons of scars. Across his back, peppering his arms… Rock had seen them so many times, he stopped noticing them. But when he thought back to Iori… Clark was right. No Scars. _Weird…_

"So… either boss has some really great lotion, or he's getting skin grafts every other week? Is that what you're saying?"

 _*... well, usually it's a lot more than skin, but you get the point. Your boss doesn't really get hurt that often, but when he does - it's pretty bad. Yagami has literally lost an entire lung once and Kagura just replaced it. If you don't believe me, then ask him - he'll tell you. He'll probably show you the medical charts too, since he likes you so much.*_

Rock mulled over it carefully, and nodded to himself. Honestly, even if there was a small chance Whip could regain her sight, then Rock was willing to help. He'd cancel his flight and stick around long enough to try and see this thing through. Hopefully Iori's goodwill extended a bit longer…

"Okay..." Rock paused. Then made his declaration with certainty. He was _going_ to do this.

"Do me a favor and tell Seirah I'm getting her some new eyes."

* * *

 _Good think Iori got arrested otherwise Seirah would have been sightless :(_

 _lol, if Iori didn't get fixed all the time he'd be all sorts of fked. especially after IKARI sends him to the front lines. where there are peeps with guns and scary war machines._


	68. HellBoss

_I bet he gets arrested all the time he doesn't even care._

* * *

"Sir! It's been half an hour already."

"Yagami-san, could you please come?"

"Shaddup! Lemme finish this set!"

Iori fixed his eyes on the cinder block ceiling, took a deep breath, and with a loud grunt, pulled up until his nose touched the cold stone. He held himself in a front lever until his biceps started screaming, then dropped back down, hanging by three fingers in each hand. He puffed and looked down at his four cellmates. He'd spent all night with them, and more and more time passed - the more and more they tried to avoid him. Perhaps it was because he didn't speak Chinese?

 _Probably… okay, two more._

Behind him, some of 'the family's' bodyguards were trying to coax him off the ceiling - but he was about to finish his prison workout - so they were going to wait. Actually, he was enjoying how uncomfortable his chaperones looked. Many of them had been longtime felons before the Yakuza took them in and gave them immunity. They clearly hadn't had good memories from prison, and Iori was an asshole so he goaded them on.

"Go on, make yourself _(puff)_ comfortable. If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for you. I slept here all night 'cause you bastards were too busy dicking around to notice I'd been arrested. _(puff)_ Fuck you."

"Our deepest apologies, Yagami-san."

"We're very sorry sir."

Iori dropped to the ground and shook out both arms - restoring blood flow. He fixed his eyes back on the ceiling, and with hop and a _shink,_ hooked back into the concrete. He didn't turn his head to address the bodyguards.

"What time is it?"

"6:30 AM sir."

"My phone?"

"Here, sir."

"Call Howard. Put him on speaker."

"Yes, sir."

Iori grunted in response and pulled back up toward the ceiling. He waited until he heard a dial tone before dropping back down. Rehearsal started at nine, and Iori was going to make his student do some of his administrative work. He'd have to learn it sooner or later, and right now was as good of a time as any.

Everyone in the cell fell silent as Rock picked up the call.

 _*(yawn)... Boss? He-*_

Iori shouted from the ceiling.

"Howard! Rise and Shine! Call everyone and make sure they arrive in the concert hall by 9am, I'll meet you there. Don't forget the AUX chords in my room they're in the red suitcase in the grocery bag. Ask the front desk for the room key. I'll text you the address to the venue."

 _*... what? You want me to do it? But not everyo-*_

"I'm in jail right now, so step up. If you need help, ask Yashiro. He's done this a thousand times, and he likes you. See you at nine."

 _*Boss! Wait! I don't speak Chinese! Also you killed Yas-*_

Iori switched to Japanese.

"Hang up"

 _*Click*_

Iori ignored one employee's complaining to address his other, Yakuza, employees. They were both looking rather disheveled, as if they had hurriedly dressed themselves to come negotiate for Iori's release. Last night he'd been dragged into the police station and interrogated. The only issue was he neither spoke nor understood Chinese, and the station's only English speaker had such a heavy accent Iori only understood every fourth word. Luckily the people 'the family' had sent had the appropriate linguistic capability to operate in this country, and had successfully bargained (bribed) for his freedom.

They had a pretty stressful morning, and if Iori could feel sympathy, he might've given them a break. Unfortunately he didn't care and starting now, their day was going to get even harder, because they got to accompany him for breakfast.

He dropped from the ceiling and plucked up his _'Feminist Agenda'_ tank top from the floor. He pulled it on and found a couple of Bobby pins in his pocket to arrange his hair with.

He yawned, wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded at the two men in suits. They were busy silently judging his fashion sense when Iori began barking orders.

"You, call the car I need to hit the bank. You, send someone to fetch me a coffee. Two creams, no sugar. A pack of bacon - frozen. I also need some Adderall. Chop-chop. Let's move."

* * *

 _lmao. I wonder how much those bodyguards get paid to deal with HellBoss?_

 _Not enough, that's for sure. Must be like - ohhh bro, you got THAT asignment? I'm so friggin sorry. I'll take you out for drinks when you get back._

 _(If) you get back..._

kek.

Realtalk: stuff is slower cuz onboarding new job. quarentine good for writing tho. gonna see if I can finish this story by the time Corona is done.


	69. Athena's Bitch - The Dragon

_Athena Chapter_

 _This was really friggin hard to write. I think Athena is becoming a bit of a mini-chiz for me (she's really strong)_

 _Thankfully she's sorta a side character - so she doesn't drive the entirity of this plot._

 _kk_

* * *

Athena was in tears.

She wasn't sure if they were tears of rage, or tears of sadness… perhaps she was just crying from the stress, and the change, and having her support suddenly pulled out from beneath her. She was upset, and the emotion was so strong she wasn't certain where it came from.

 _Why! Why! What did I do wrong!_

 _She_ had been dumped. Athena Asimaya - the Idol, the world's top performing pop star, arguably the most beautiful person in the world - had been dumped by Sie Kensou. That sad, poor country bumpkin who'd crawled out of the woodwork five years ago to bask in her glory. _He_ turned his back on her? _Him?_ Didn't he know what was good for him? _She_ was good for him!

Athena glared at her dresser and watched it as it warped in on itself - crunching and compressing into a heavy ball of dense cork. It fell into the carpet with a loud _thunk_. She seethed at it, and after considerable mental effort, it _atomized._

 _Sie Kensou… how could you insult me like this! You said you loved me…_

She didn't need him.

Athena didn't need anyone.

No. She was a goddess. Self-sufficient. At rest. At confidence. She didn't need people… people needed _her._ So why… Why was everything falling apart? She hissed through her teeth and floated herself out of bed. It was five in the morning, Tuesday, and Athena hadn't slept all night. She had lay there tossing and turning and wondering how she had come to this point. Had she done something? What was wrong with asking for sushi? Why was he offended by the bathhouse?

 _Athena! You don't need him! Stop thinking about it…_

Had something happened in the hospital that moment? Kensou was talking to the doctor about how his aunt's treatment was successful, and… and… why had he treated her so coldly? He was always even tempered. Easygoing. He wasn't particularly reliable when it came to completing tasks, but at least his temperament was solid and constant. Whenever she was driven wild from stress, or depressed with bad news, or elated with her success, or moved with sympathy - she could freely plumb the depths of her emotions, because Sie Kensou was always there to pull her pack from whatever brink of insanity she was about to totter off next.

 _You don't need him!_

That wasn't like him. No, not at all. He wouldn't have turned on a dime like that for no reason. Sie Kensou was unremarkable, but he _was_ reasonable. Everything he did was slow, and measured, and cadenced, and boring, but it always made perfect sense. Sometimes he executed his decisions in goofy and embarrassing fashion - but his decisions were hardly wrong. He knew her business. He knew what needed to be done, and when Athena was faced with a hard decision- emotionally or business-wise, she went to him. Because although he never did anything, he was also never wrong.

 _You can handle it… Athena… calm down. You can handle it._

What could have happened?! Even when that fatty disgusting nurse had _slapped her across the face,_ Sie Kensou didn't even look at her. Someone with basic decency would have run to help her, but her longtime companion - the man privileged to be called her 'boyfriend' - didn't even look at her. Ridiculous!

 _Just forget him! You don't need him!_

It _was_ ridiculous! But Sie Kensou was _not_ ridiculous. He was steady. He was boring. He didn't make rash decisions. No… something must have happened that she, Athena, was not aware of. What happened to the aunt… why had the nurse slapped her… what had the nurse said…

 _Think… remember…_

…

She was too frazzled. She couldn't remember. Normally this was the time she'd go to Kensou and throw her problems at him. He was never able to fix them - so she thought he was useless… but now she was seeing his value. For he always listened, and he always balanced her, and he stayed with her through the whole thing. Until now, she never realized how much she needed hi-...

 _Athena… you don't… need…_

Athena sat down on the side of her bed and hugged her stomach as she looked down at her feet. She took a deep breath and did her best to calm herself. Kensou wasn't here anymore. She no longer had the luxury to freak out and not worry about everything crashing about her ears because of her outbursts. Kensou took care of that.

Kensou had made her complacent. He had allowed her to be childish…

And now, he was gone.

And now…

…

 _THAT BASTARD! HOW DARE HE LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!_

Athena lurched to her feet and, with a glance, crushed her nightstand into the floor with a splintering noise. She bared her teeth, and lifted her hand. Her phone flew from her handbag to smack her hard in the palm. She stood there in the dark room, her hair mussed beyond recognition and tears streaming down her face. She opened her eyes wide and glared down at her cellphone. She punched in the number with her will alone.

 _Call._

 _Master Chin._

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrr*_

 _*Hello… Hello… Who is calling?*_

Athena glared at her phone as her martial arts master fiddled with the technology. The transmission was bad and the old man's voice waned in and out as he attempted to communicate over the airwaves. Athen swallowed hard, and expelled all of her emotions from her voice. She spoke in a trembling deadpan.

"Chin Shifu. It's Athena."

A pause. Clearly, Master Chin was surprised. Normally, the moment Athena left the training Dojo - she didn't even acknowledge her martial arts teacher - much less seek him out to speak to him. Her career was first and foremost, and she made that fact abundantly clear to anyone who wished to distract her with other pursuits. In fact, the only reason she was learning to be a better fighter in the first place, was to (hopefully) win a KOF tournament and thereby boost her singing career. If that ever happened, then surely she'd skyrocket #1 on the charts.

 _*Ah, Athena… Did you forget something?*_

She was snapped back to reality by Chin's voice. The old man was gentle and wise, (and a drunkard) and over the years, Athena had trained herself to always listen to what he said - trivial or otherwise. Even whilst she was throwing a tantrum, she waited until it was her turn to speak.

"Shifu I need to tell you something."

Her rage must have seeped through and was being transmitted through her voice. Master Chin let out a long sigh. The old man had dealt with her before. He knew how explosive she could be.

 _*Go on, Athena.*_

"Sie… Sie left me."

 _*Did he?*_

Master Chin didn't sound surprised. He answered offhandedly as if he wanted to follow up with, ' _It was about time'._ Athena widened her eyes in anger and clenched her fists beside her. Her phone floated before her face. So was everything else in the room. She trembled in silent frustration as the bed, the luggage and the dressers lifted up and began slowly spinning about her.

"Sie. Kensou. Left. Me. He left the moment I needed him most. He had been ignoring me all day - he wouldn't take my calls. Then, his aunt needed help. He called me. I answered. I saved his family's life… _then_ I asked him to find me a sushi restaurant, and he dumped me! Shifu! Talk some sense into him!"

 _*...*_

"..."

 _*Ah… you wish me to convince him to return?*_

Athena was beginning to calm down. The furniture was coming back down to the ground, and her hair was no longer floating about her like some deep violet halo. She had expected to find a bit more sympathy in Master Chin, but honestly - this was fine. Once Kensou came back, she no longer needed Chin to rant to. She would take it all out on the man himself. She sweetened her voice.

"Yes Master, please speak to him for me. You wanted us all to stick together, right? I need him for this. Please convince him."

 _*...*_

She smiled at the air.

As Chin's silence persisted, her smile began to fade and turn to confusion. She was suddenly feeling uncomfortable. A pit in her belly. A pit of gall. After a long while, she furrowed her brow and spoke tentatively.

"Chin Shifu…?"

A long sigh.

 _*Athena, child… I would not do that to him. I must treat my students equally. What sort of master would I be if I demanded one disciple sacrifice for the other?*_

Athena stuttered. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Her voice had gone mocking and incredulous.

" _Sacrifice?_ What Sacrifice! Sie Kensou is my greatest fan! He loves me! What are you talking about! This is ridiculous!"

 _*No! child… What's ridiculous is that you dare speak to your Master in this fashion! Seize hold of yourself! Show some respect!*_

Chin's voice was forceful. Shockingly so. He hardly yelled, and when he did - it always startled her. Athena stuttered for a moment, then closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her face was calm, but all the furniture had lifted off the ground again.

"Forgive me, Shifu."

 _*Athena, you must not use anger to force your will upon others. It's the sign of a fickle and weak spirit.*_

"I'm sorry, Shifu."

Another long silence. Athena was beginning to grow antsy.

"Shifu… about Kensou. Will you talk to him?"

 _*No.*_

That word went like a dagger to her heart.

 _*I won't. His decision is sound. You've crushed his spirit Athena. You - the phoenix - have tried to enslave the dragon. You've turned that young man into a hollow husk. Now that he's escaped, would he tolerate me if I chained him up again?*_

Master Chin was speaking in riddles, but Athena understood very clearly what he was saying. However, she saw no truth in it… well, perhaps _some_ truth - but surely not to the extent Chin was insinuating.

"Shifu… I'm only giving him direction. I've never ' _enslaved'_ Sie… he's my manager! He handles my paperwork! It's just the business, Shifu."

 _*Athena… you treat him like an animal. Everyone sees it but you.*_

"W-what!? Never! I just… I just get frustrated!"

A long sigh.

 _*Kensou's nickname among Tournament Combatants… do you know it? *_

Athena grimaced. She did.

 _*Sie Kensou is your equal. You burn with opposing spirits. Your relationship with him was abhorrent, and the fault lay with you. Now that he's you, he's free. He's free to rise, and I will not allow you to stop him.*_

Athena stayed quiet. She sneered in bitterness but she had no words. Her master wasn't mistaken. She had blinded herself to that truth long ago, and now that blissful ignorance was being ruthlessly torn from her eyes. She had been so wrapped up in her own narcissism - in her obsession with her divine ancestry - that she failed to treat Sie Kensou with human dignity. She had always known it in the back of her mind… but he didn't protest, so she didn't either.

But now… Now everything had come to a tipping point.

Kensou had left her.

She was alone.

Alone.

Alone again.

Her whole life was to run from this very moment. All of her sweat. All her tears. Her long nights. Her grueling days. All she wanted was to escape that crushing loneliness. That cold anonymity. That terrible feeling the whole world was against you… and now… here she was.

She sought to be loved, because she couldn't bear to be hated. She sought companionship because her heart broke when she was alone. She made friends because she wouldn't tolerate enemies…

Yet here she was.

Her striving had led her into this pit…

She stared at her cellphone's pale light, and felt her cheeks grow wet once more. She didn't make any noise. Her downfall was of her own doing. Her world had collapsed, and nobody would mourn it but her.

Master Chin broke the silence. His voice was fuzzy and dull - or, perhaps it was her own perception. She listened with a glaze in her eye.

 _*Amend yourself Phoenix, and perhaps you will once again woo the Dragon.*_

"Ha!"

She barked. Her voice was sharp and cruel. Her breath hitched and she shut her eyes. Those words washed over her like a faint - but faraway dream. An impossibility. A mere wisp of foolish fancy.

She sneered.

"Perhaps… but not in this lifetime."

* * *

 _Go bless David Tai because I bugged the shit outta him trying to get this done._

 _I don't even think it turned out the way he suggested buuut ehh_

 _btw - Kensou's nickname is 'Athena's Bitch'._

 _The Dragon and Phoenix stuff is the 4 heavenly creatures. if you want Details ask the Tai man_

 _Or - if you speak digimon speak - (Azulongman =/= Zhuquaomon)_

kkkkkk bye


	70. Skeleton Crew

"Where is Yagami."

"I'm sorry, uh...He said he would be here at nine."

Athena was staring holes through his face, and Rock averted his eyes. The two of them were standing quite alone in the large, cavernous concert hall. The place was tremendous, and the stage was packed with microphones, instruments, speakers etc… Yashiro's guitar was sitting on it's stand. The grand piano was wrapped up in its plush cover. Neither instrument would be touched today, because their two CYS members had been brutally killed last night.

Athena crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"Well. It's nine, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah…sorry."

Rock didn't quite know how to break this news to Athena. She was probably gonna go nuts when she found out Shermie and Yashiro were absent, and frankly Rock didn't want to be the one dealing with her. She wasn't happy with him anyways, and Yashiro was brought on board to be his safety net. Now that his safety net had his torso exploded, Rock was on his own with the guitars. That, he could probably deal with. He knew the songs by heart by now, since Iori had spent the plane ride pounding it into his brain. What he couldn't deal with was an angry Athena. Iori was much better suited for that - because Iori probably wouldn't die.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon… uh, I'm going to tune my guitar."

Rock quickly excused himself and scurried up on stage. He only dared to turn back and glance at Athena once he was safely across the room and seated with his instrument. Athena had sighed and seated herself on one of the audience seats. She looked… significantly different from how Rock normally saw her. She was still _really_ pretty, but today she was dressed in jeans, a tank top and a messy purple bun. She wasn't wearing makeup and there were faint bags under her eyes. She looked tired.

 _Wonder what happened._

...And Kensou wasn't with her. Rock sort of wanted to ask why Athena's companion was absent, but that might prompt Athena to question where Shermie and Yashiro had gone. Rock didn't consider himself a great liar (hell, Iori saw through him in mere seconds) and he definitely wasn't going to try his luck with the Psychic girl.

 _9:05… ugh…_

This morning at 8:00, after receiving instructions from his employer, Rock had stood outside Athena's hotel room door for an entire minute trying to build the courage to knock. He didn't know why he was so intimidated by her, but the moment she opened the door (rather angrily) he stuttered and bit his tongue before shakily conveying the time and meeting place.

 _She must think I'm an idiot… Boss… come on, please. I don't wanna be alone with her…_

Surprisingly, Athena demanded _he_ wait in the lobby for her, and after a short fifteen minutes, they were riding the taxi together into the heart of the city. It was possibly the most stressful car ride of Rock's entire life. Not just because Athena was stern, and probably unhappy with him, but she was also a psychic.

 _Can she read my mind? Does she know that… that I killed Shermie and those other guys? Wait! No no, what if she's reading your mind right now?! Stop thinking about it… shhh…_

Yesterday's events were still muggy in Rock's mind. They felt unreal, as if he'd just watched a very scary movie and hadn't actually been there. He had been so exhausted last night he didn't have time to think about it - to really digest it - and frankly it wasn't something he was looking forward to. Right now, he was going to stick around and wait. All he needed was for Iori to show up in a decently pleasant mood, ask him to call his CEO friend, then he could take off and leave this nightmare behind him.

Rock sighed and shut his eyes.

The room was cool and airy. The air conditioning was blasting from somewhere out of sight. There were several large skylights in the roof and they allowed the cloudy morning to filter in. It felt cold and empty. Rock absentmindedly picked at his guitar strings as he stared blankly out over the venue. He exhaled. His mind wandered.

 _Iori got arrested last night… since he killed Yashiro, but what about me? I mean… are they going to find anything at… at the shipyard?_

Rock grimaced and shook his head. He pulled his phone out and flipped to his tuning app. There was no use worrying about his potential arrest right now. He wasn't about to give up a shot at Whip's eyes for a mere possibility he might get thrown in prison. Besides, he was an American citizen - and as far as he knew, China wasn't allowed to arrest him… additionally, there were no survivors at the shipyard to identify him anyways.

 _Yeah… nobody knows I was there… actually, only the ambulance people… Wait… surely they saw all the dead bodies everywhere! The police must have been called!_

He seized up sucked air. He wondered at that… why wasn't he brought in for questioning? The police here worked pretty fast - obviously, considering how quickly they came to grab Iori - and normal procedure would have found him sitting in a police station and trying not to convict himself of murder. Rock hadn't thought about it until now, but it was truly very strange. He bit his lip.

 _As far as they know, I am the only survivor of that crazy shitshow - since Whip and Leona took off before anyone came here. Was the police in on it? Maybe… gang activity, and they've got connections? Maybe… maybe it was military? I mean, they had technology… and guns…_

At the thought, Rock felt the puncture wound in his back itch. He leaned back and pushed it against his chair. Yesterday, he'd been shot between the shoulder blades by a tranquilizer dart, and he was still plenty sore. He had also been shot in the arm with a bullet - but luckily the wound was superficial. It hurt a bit when he had to shift down to fifth position, but otherwise it was ignorable. He was thankful for that.

 _Who were they? Why was Shermie working with them? If they're military, did I just piss off the Chinese government? I mean… if they're soldiers, then the higher ups definitely know something went wrong at the shipyard… I bet they're investigating it right now, and…_

Rock was breathing more rapidly now. The room was so big, and so cold, and so empty. There was nobody around but himself and Athena - and if somebody wanted to swoop in through the skylight and snatch him away, then they very well could. Perhaps they were even waiting for Athena to turn her back - and suddenly he'd be off to be interrogated in a jail cell. It was _impossible_ he was going to walk away from this incident scot free… he had seen cameras whilst running about the warehouse complex, and he was the only blonde American kid he'd seen in the entire city. It wasn't exactly easy for him to blend in! Especially since (thanks to Iori being an attention whore) his face was all over social media.

 _Shit… if anyone's looking for me, they'll find me in no time at-_

*BANG*

Rock jumped as the door behind him slammed open. He turned and blanched as he saw a group of men in suits and sunglasses file in. They looked very official and CIA-ish, and Rock would have freaked out if he didn't recognize them from the gym yesterday morning. These were Iori Yagami's bodyguards, and they all looked downright miserable. Despite their only interaction thus far being ' _they pointed firearms at me'_ Rock felt a deep sympathy for their plight. Being Iori Yagami's chaperone must be hellish.

"Guys! I got breakfast!"

And in came the man himself. He was wearing his terrible bobby pins, socks and flip flops (also terrible), yesterday's terrible clothes, and a pair of sunglasses which had been snatched off the faces of one of his entourage. He was ten minutes late, and didn't seem apologetic in the least. He was also holding six bags of Mcdonald's breakfast and strode over to Athena to drop one in her lap. She looked at him like he had just flung Vegemite at her.

"Mornin'. Where's the bitch man? Out buying you something?"

Athena deadpanned at him. Her voice was frosty.

"Sie Kensou will not be joining us for the rest of this tour."

"..."

Iori took off his sunglasses and frowned at her. He looked like he was about to ask a question, then bit his tongue and shrugged.

"Okay, fine… but I need a drummer, and you were supposed to supply one. Hurry up and do something about it otherwise I'm gonna put a microphone to a metronome."

Rock watched from the corner as Iori and Athena glared each other down for a short moment, before she stood up and vanished. Iori turned to his bodyguards, barked some orders at them, and they filed out with looks of relief painted across their faces. Then, Iori turned his attention to him. Rock cringed.

"Oy, Howard. McDonalds?"

"No thanks."

Iori looked a bit disappointed - as he had only managed to hand off a single breakfast take-out - and shrugged and tossed them all into Athena's seat. He popped a pill, blinked a couple of times, then looked around - clearly searching for two other people. Rock knew exactly what he was going to ask. Iori didn't seem to remember _killing_ Yashiro last night. Perhaps he had no memory of the Blood Riot at all. From this morning's conversation (Iori had told him to ask Yashiro for help concerning directing everyone to the concert venue) it was clear Iori thought both Shermie and Yashrio were alive and well. Would he be shocked to hear they were killed? How would he react to find _he_ had killed one of them?

Rock stared at the floor and gulped.

"Where's Shermie and Yash? They making out in the closet or something?"

"No… uh. They… _they…_ "

"They what. Are they messing with you again? They're dead, y'know - so you can punch them. They don't actually mind it that much, can you believe it?"

Iori chuckled to himself, then yawned and went to strip the coverings off the piano. He pulled out the bench, grabbed Yashiro's guitar, and sat down to begin tuning the instruments to match. Rock glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Iori seemed to be in a good enough mood, perhaps Rock could avoid the Shermie and Yashiro issue, get Whip's eyes, and fly out this afternoon… it _was_ possible.

 _What about the police issue though… should I tell him? He could probably help... but… one favor at a time…_

Rock sighed and chewed on his lip. After sufficient silence, he posed his question.

"Boss?"

"Hm?"

"Can… I ask a favor?"

"Nope."

"...ah."

That… did not work out. Rock peered at him again. Iori hadn't raised his head to respond to him. He didn't look mad, or upset… anything really, and frankly Rock had been used to getting whatever he requested from his rather insane, but generous employer. He was a bit taken aback as to why he was now being denied.

"Uh, Boss… "

"What's up Howard."

"It's pretty important."

"Yup, and _you're_ on probation."

Iori looked up at him and tapped his temple. His voice was serious and echoed through the concert hall. Rock's heart fell as he listened.

"You _will_ do well tomorrow otherwise I _will_ send you home. I'm not joking. Whatever problem you think you have, this problem is bigger. Today - focus. Tomorrow - perform. Afterwards you can bug me with all your shit. Okay?"

"Oh… Okay."

Rock grimaced. He didn't know if a day would make a difference for Seirah, but he really had no counter to Iori's argument. It was a good one. He considered protesting again, and figured it'd be best not to annoy Iori. Hopefully Whip could hold on. He sighed.

Iori seemed to hear the disappointment in his voice and snickered.

"You're not fired yet, kiddo. Don't sweat too much. Just play like we've practiced and you'll be fine - especially with Yash backing you up… where is that bastard anyways…?"

Iori turned to look around again. Obviously, there was no one. After a moment, Rock felt his employers gaze rest on him. He fidgeted and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to announce somebody's death, so he just winged it.

"Uh… Yashiro. About that… he's the reason you got arrested."

Iori blinked at him and frowned.

"What?"

"You got arrested for murder, boss... You killed him."

"..."

"..."

"Really?… Hm."

Iori looked momentarily shocked then looked down and scratched his head. He seemed to be considering the possibility very carefully - as if this sort of thing happened fairly often, and he was just handling the fallout. Frankly, the fact Iori didn't immediately deny such an accusation spoke volumes by itself.

The red-haired man was murmuring to himself. His brow was furrowed and he held his chin in his hand. He stared hard at the floor. He looked confused.

" _Yashiro huh… Why would I kill Yashiro?… that doesn't sound right._ " He looked up at Rock, "What did he do? I would never kill that guy for nothing, especially since I already paid the bastard..."

Rock blinked. It was a little strange hearing death talked about so flippantly. They _were_ undead after all. Perhaps it wasn't that big of a deal…?

"Well, come on Howard. You were there, right? What the fuck happened in the restaurant? Did he attack me or something?"

Rock paused.

 _That_ was a fairly good excuse. He didn't need Iori knowing what had happened at the shipyard. Honestly he might be able to help, but he'd probably drag Rock into a whole other host of problems. Right now, Rock's primary concern was separating himself from his employer. He just needed to pass this concert and commission a set of eyes. From now until the moment he was free to go, he would continue to put distance between himself and Iori Yagami.

Rock lied.

"Yeah, Yashiro attac-"

" _No, No… I wouldn't kill him even if he did. Riot knows better… damn I don't wanna wake him up though_ … huh? What was that?"

Iori focused his eyes on him. Rock bit his tongue and offered a pained smile.

"Nothing."

"... nothing?"

"... Yeah."

Iori narrowed his eyes at him. He looked suspicious, but after a moment decided to let it go. He shrugged and continued. His voice was wavering.

"Fine... Okay. I'll just apologize to him next year. He got paid already so he won't be mad… _man…_ "

Iori sighed and looked down at the guitar. He looked significantly less cheerful then just five minutes ago when he walked into the venue. Obviously, he wasn't happy to hear he'd lost half of his band members the day before a large concert, but he was taking it rather well. Normally Iori freaked out over all sorts of small things (like Rock's tempo) and the fact he hadn't set himself on fire to go ballistic over this _really tremendous problem_ made Rock fairly certain Iori was under the influence of some sort of substance.

He was also talking to himself. A lot.

 _"Right, Gotta go find somewhere to print Yash's fucking sheets…_ Okay, where's Shermie? _"_ He looked about again, then addressed Rock. "You need to practice, and Shermie can play accompanying while I go learn Yash's part. We can fire everything up by noon. Hopefully Athena's found me a drummer by then."

He nodded to himself then looked expectantly at Rock for an answer concerning Shermie's whereabouts. Rock felt his stomach turn.

"She's… not gonna be here either."

"... Huh?"

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere ran cold. Iori glared at him. Clearly, he was willing to tolerate certain facts being withheld from him, but the problem had balloon past his threshold. He placed Yashiro's guitar back onto its stand and leaned forward to fix Rock in his gaze. Rock gritted his teeth and stared at the floor.

"I need to know everything that happened yesterday, and I need to know now. Ten minutes. Go."

 _Fuck!_

Rock's thoughts flew. Should he try to lie his way through this? He could hardly keep yesterday's events straight in his own head. There was no way Iori wouldn't catch him slipping. The only reason Rock was on probation to begin with was he has lied… if he lied again, he'd be fired on the spot.

And right now - at least until Seirah got her sight back - Rock couldn't afford to get fired. The only way out was the straight through. He bit his tongue and bowed his head. He felt Iori's sharp eyes boring holes into his skull.

"... Okay… okay, fine…I'll tell you, just…"

Iori's gaze became scorching. Rock bit back his condition and hesitated. He wasn't sure how Iori would handle this, and Rock really didn't trust him, but at this moment, he had no choice. He offered a brief prayer to whoever heard him, then reluctantly began narrating.

"It all started yesterday morning..."

* * *

 _Iori finally up to speed. :)_


	71. A Tipping Point

_Ya think I can finish this fic by the time I reach 100 chapters?_

 _Maan, I'd never imagine this thing would go on so long lmao_

 _Hopefully it'll close soon. I have the plot in mind, but as I write it, it kinda meanders._

 _ohwell._

* * *

Iori was very silent as Rock narrated his story. In the beginning, he seemed reserved, as if he were reluctant to disclose the details of his - frightfully eventful - day. However, once the ball got rolling, he seemed to forget Iori was listening, and told everything without a hint of reservation. He spoke animatedly, baring his teeth at some times, gesturing at others, and even turning his gaze to the ground and pausing to rub tears from his eyes.

 _For the love of god… please don't start crying..._

Rock had one hell of a day. This morning, he had been kidnapped by Shermie. He was nearly killed by machine gun fire, then he went crazy and punched in the skulls of several Chinese guards. Iori had winced at that. Until now, he hadn't considered Rock Howard a physical threat to him. Iori was glad he didn't need to experience his skull being punched in to recognize how potent 'Geese's blood' was.

But honestly, perhaps it would have been better if Rock wasn't quite that strong. Iori had been born and bred a killer. His psyche had been numbed to blood from a young age. He still dreamt about it (that's what drugs were for) but it didn't affect his day to day living. Not anymore at least.

Rock was different from him.

Geese might have raised his son in violence, but Terry absolutely did not. It was clear from Rock's personality that he was no soldier. He was peaceable and rather friendly, and the only time he ever showed aggression was on the basketball court and during Tournament matches. The boy wasn't a murderer… yet - in order to preserve his own life - he was forced to become one.

 _Shit..._

Rock was clutching a fistful of hair and staring at the floor as he spoke. He was very emotional, almost ranting. Clearly he hadn't told anyone about what had happened to him, and Iori was surprised Rock would choose to confide in him so wholeheartedly. Regardless, although he was a bit uncomfortable with it, Iori was content to just be happy that Rock didn't start crying. He had bawled his eyes out the first time he had killed someone (granted, he _was_ quite young), but thankfully Rock was built of tougher stuff.

"They… and these guys! I don't even know if they were in on it! They were just sitting around smoking and shit, and I jumped on them! I… I don't know… I think I screwed up… "

Rock raised his eyes from the floor to look at Iori, then shook his head and continued. As he narrated, he seemed to become more and more distraught. Iori was really hoping his student held it together - because Iori had no idea how to comfort people. He was already regretting demanding that Rock explain yesterday's events.

"So… so I go into the building. I knew the place! I've never been there, but I knew exactly where to go. I was burning up too! Everything in me was just screaming for her blood, so I find her, and… and..."

Rock paused and broke eye contact to take several deep breaths. Iori also sighed. He hunched over and rested his elbows on his knees, mimicking Rock's posture. He wished Kagura were here. She was better at this sort of thing.

"… She had Whip there. I don't know why, but Whip was hanging from the ceiling! She must have realized I was gone and she came for me… Boss, her eyes were gone! Shermie ripped them out! I… I freaked…"

Now Rock's hands were shaking. He opened them and stared at his palms. Iori knew exactly what he was thinking. Killing somebody with your bare hands… that wasn't a feeling you ever forgot. It stuck with you until the day you died.

"... I-I blew her up. Split her in two, and she fucking laughed at me before she died. She kept saying… t-that the strong always kill the weak… and that's why she blinded Seirah. She had no reason for it… She just wanted to, and she did it… _dammit!_ "

He gritted his teeth and looked up at Iori. His tone was vicious and stricken through with grief. He snarled.

"... is _that_ how you people work?! Just kill whoever you want?!"

Iori didn't reply. He put on a deadpan expression and let Rock rail at him. Besides, it wasn't as if he had a good response to that question. He never explained himself when he killed people. Words never helped with loss or the rage. Especially not words from a killer.

"Tch."

Rock tore his eyes away and sneered. He glowered at the floor, and seemed to go into deep thought. They spent a long moment in the empty silence. After a moment, Rock turned back to him looking a bit embarrassed. The ferocity fell out of his voice.

"I… I didn't mean that. Uh… I'm sorry. Please forget what I just said."

Iori didn't respond. He watched Rock fidget for a bit before he sighed and continued his story. This time, he kept tight control over himself. Choosing his words carefully, and occasionally glancing at him in an attempt to gauge his reactions. Iori wasn't even sure what he himself was feeling, so obviously Rock was having trouble with his face-reading exercise. Eventually he just gave up and continued.

"... anyways. I take Whip out of that room. There are still soldiers nearby - and we run into one of them. He didn't know who we were - and freaked out and started treating Whip's wounds. He was halfway done when Leona killed him and took Whip away."

A bit of hardness crept into Rock's expression, as if he were remembering something exceedingly unpleasant.

"That woman… she… _no. Nevermind._ "

Rock sighed and chewed his lip. He shook his head and stared forward. The air about him was significantly lighter than before - as if he needed to get this off his chest. Unfortunately, he had chosen to unburden himself on Iori. Now _he_ was wrapped up in his employee's problems, and it was now his business… _I should call The Family..._

"So afterwards an ambulance picks me up, and I get sent to the hospital for stitches. Then they drop me at the Hotel, and that's where I ran into you. I… I don't know how much you remember, but you seemed pretty drunk..."

Rock looked at him inquisitively. A long pause, then Iori sighed and made the admission. His voice came out in a monotone.

"I had a long day."

Rock nodded.

"...Yeah. And you passed out on the table. Then Yashiro somehow found out I killed Shermie and was about to stick a needle through my neck… when… you… or um… _something else..._ stuck your hand through his skull."

Rock gave him another questioning look. This one, Iori didn't honor. After a moment, Rock figured he wasn't going to get an explanation about Iori's autistic split personality, and concluded with a weak:

"And… that's it."

"..."

"..."

They stared at each other in the dreary silence. The room had somehow grown darker. The air was heavy and cold. Rock Howard had just killed somebody, because Shermie - Iori's contractor - decided to go rogue. Everyone knew CYS was dangerous. Everyone knew they were evil too… but he had taken them in, and now Rock was suffering the consequences of his bad decisions. You could never un-kill someone. It was the ultimate… and no matter which way Iori sliced it, this was absolutely his fault.

 _It was a good run… Fuck…_

Iori sighed and stood up. He turned his back and hopped off the stage to go and fetch one of his McDonald's bags. His shoes were loud against the cold concrete, and he felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Rock was staring at him from the stage, clearly waiting to hear Iori's verdict on this frightful set of events.

 _Damn it… this kid just killed somebody because of you! He's gonna have that blood on his hands until kingdom come… Damn it Yagami, aren't you miserable enough? Now you wanna make more of you? Fuck!_

He glared down at his McDonald bags and let his shoulders sag. Behind him, the stage was all set up. All the tuned instruments, lined up - glittering and polished. The spotlights, in position and ready to shine down. The mics to blast into. The speakers to blast out of… That stage was an escape. A place of light, brightness and excitement. Away from the cruel reality. Dogs eating dogs. The strong preying on the weak. That was the fundamental rule of the universe. The underlying law of this world. Beneath the glitz and glamour - the signed documents, the regulation, the bureaucracy - beneath it all, was just that singular Law.

The Law.

Strength was King.

Strength was Justice.

Strength was Righteousness - and weakness was sin.

Shermie wasn't wrong.

Concerning this - she and Iori saw eye to eye. He was no better than her. He was no better than Yashiro. Iori couldn't even recall the number of people he had slain for the sake of those he counted precious. Kusanagi. Kagura. Their lives were purchased at a steep and bloody price. He didn't regret it. He didn't change. Morality was his strength. The man who lived was justified.

That was the world he lived in.

Rock Howard had tasted it. He'd spent a single day reveling in it's miseries

And, as far as Iori was concerned, it would also be his _last_ day in that savage world. Iori might lose his guitarist, but it was better than letting the boy become someone vile. It had been fun, but all good things came to an end. It was about time they finished this.

Iori turned.

"Hey, Howard."

Rock looked up from on-stage. His face was tense with anticipation. Iori wasn't sure what Rock was expecting from him - but he clearly wasn't expecting to be fired.

"Would you like to continue your career as a professional musician?"

Rock looked confused. He hadn't anticipated such a question.

"Um… yeah? I guess... _but_ "

"Then go home. Get some rest… When you've slept on it, choose a band and I'll write you a recommendation."

* * *

 _Brocky baby you forgot the eyes!_

He's so precious


	72. Rigging the game

_LMAO Cheng Sinzan has played Mahjong all night for 4 days straight. If that's not the most China thing ever, I don't know what is lmao_

 _Imma friggin name drop everyone._

* * *

"Brother Yip! You dare propose something so ridiculous?!"

One man stood and shouted at another in the dark room. His voice was unhappy and shrill, echoing loudly throughout the room and over the heads of the thirty or so suits seated at the long, orientially carved, table. At the head was a fat, stern looking man wearing spectacles. Behind him, a shrine lighted bright red and filled with idols. The smell of incense filtered through the room.

"Kam's task force was annihilated! Sister Luan is dead! We have already lost _your_ men to this Yagami bastard and his crew - and now you want to throw _my_ men at him _?_ "

The man shouting was a stout specimen. Spittle flew from his lips as he pounded the table and expressed his rage. Nobody at the table stopped him. This man ran Shanghai, and if this operation were to proceed - even if successful - it would cost him dearly.

"Allow me to remind you where your funding comes from. Aside from Hong Kong, my district is the most profitable on the mainland. My men aren't gun toting lunatics! We're accountants! Lawyers! Judges! We keep the wheels of this organization well oiled and spinning smoothly so you bastards can run around and kill each other!"

A tall, thin man stood. He wore a tremendous emerald on his left pointer finger, and used it to loudly rap the table. Shanghai's manager fell silent and glared at him.

"Brother Yew, you are the one that has misunderstood."

A silence fell over the room. Yew sat down and glared.

"The Yakuza has already recognized this strike against them. I have reports of their movement through Manchuria and a large force arriving in Shanghai to protect their heir. We've already stirred up our enemy, … unless we wish for a slow death, we must retaliate in force!"

A murmur scurried across the table until the bespeckled man at the head stood. The shrine's red light lit him from behind and - although he didn't strike a particularly intimidating figure - everyone fell silent at the flick of his hand. His voice was soft, but carried the authority of a wise leader.

"Brothers. This threat must be dealt with or the Yakuza will continue encroaching upon us. Ten years ago, we had peace with our Japanese neighbors. We would not go to war with them, and they would not war with us because the cost was far too great. Brinksmanship if you'd like… however, once this Yagami character came into heirship, the Yakuza has grown explosively stronger. We have grown weaker. What Kam started, we must finish."

Yew gritted his teeth but dared not protest. He stared at the ground and trembled in rage. The head continued to speak. His voice grew stronger, and his belly trembled with the force of his words.

"My comrades, we must keep a level head. The boy is in Shanghai, in the stronghold of our power. Restrict his movements, call your national security contacts. Detain, Arrest and dispatch. Let us conduct ourselves with methodical efficiency."

Yew could contain himself no longer. He stood up to shout.

"Brother Cheng! You of all people know of Shanghai's capabilities, for you yourself are a fighter! If you insist we do this, you must help! We cannot stop operations to fight in the streets! What of our police relations? What of our casualties? A single one of those red-haired bastards can take out an entire squadron of us!"

The room fell silent once again. The head sighed and sat back down. It was a long moment before he spoke.

"Yew. I am a businessman. I will never endeavor an impossible task. I sit on the board of KP, and our CEO has quite a close relationship with our… problem child. I will leverage that relationship to your benefit, Yew. Just listen to me, do as I say and I will present you his head on a platter."

Another murmur scurried through the room.

"Now… Cheng Sinzan has a call to make. Everyone - Dismissed."

* * *

 _Oooooo_

 _Time for devilmom to be out-devilmomed._

 _She's not always evil guys... lmao_


	73. The Joy fires you

_Wow. Okay._

 _This and ch 74 could have been one chapter... but I don't really like to change POV in the middle_

 _so eh._

 _click forward_

* * *

"Go home Howard! Didn't you hear me? I fired you!"

"Wait, Boss! _(huff)_ hold on!"

Rock Howard gritted his teeth together and strode after his employer's entourage. He berated himself. Iori Yagami had asked him to explain what had happened yesterday - with the obvious intention of discovering what happened to Shermie and Yashiro. Instead, Rock poured his heart out… and when he finished, his employment was prompty terminated.

"Boss! Iori! Hey!"

Honestly, Rock wasn't _too_ upset at that. In fact, last night he had already decided to quit for the very same reason Iori fired him. This tour had wrung him dry. It had torn his heart asunder. His colleagues were psychopaths. His boss was a lunatic. He had seen and heard things no man should see and hear. It was hellish - and he wanted out.

"I said go home! _Someone buy the kid an airplane ticket! You! Find me a safehouse and get me on the phone with the fourth Elder!_ "

Apparently, Iori had come to the same conclusion. Well, Rock wasn't sure _exactly_ what Iori was thinking - but he had spent enough time with the man to read his expressions. As Rock narrated the deaths and the killings and… just everything, Iori looked sadder and sadder. It was strange seeing him wear such a human expression.

Rock wasn't sure what he expected after the story. He thought Iori might either simply accept the explanation for CYS's absences and move on. Or, perhaps he would show some sympathy and ask what he could do to help - at which point Rock would request Whip to be given her sight back. Rock even considered the possibility that the two of them would go to the shipyard and discover why all of this happened in the first place! Iori was very erratic, but for the most part - his intentions toward Rock had proven benevolent. Therefore… Rock was terribly surprised to hear he had been fired, with nothing as consolation besides for a recommendation letter.

 _Damn it! What about Seirah!_

Rock couldn't afford to be fired yet. He hadn't yet procured his favor from Iori - and even now was unsuccessfully trying to (respectfully) push his way through the twenty or so CIA suits that were accompanying the red-haired man. They seemed reluctant to really push him away, and seemed apologetic when they were forced to. Obviously there was a certain kind of strange and unspoken solidarity among Iori Yagami's employees.

"Boss, please!"

"I'm not your Boss anymore!"

The strange procession was striding down the sidewalk in the middle of the bustling city - and blocking foot traffic. Iori was a bright flash of red leading a pack of exhausted looking bodyguards (and his recently ex-guitarist) down the street, and from the looks of it, nobody knew where he was going. Despite Iori demanding he leave, Rock continued to jog after them. If he lost sight of Iori now, it was very likely he would never see the red-haired man again… and that meant Whip would never see _anything_ again.

So Rock resolved to put aside his pride and chase Iori down until he got what he wanted.

* * *

 _Iori is pretty much the worst employer._

 _Too carefree and spontaneous._

 _Also, working for him so so awful, that people bond over it._

 _lmao_


	74. Iori's Creepy Uncle

_Iori is everyone's bitch_

 _4th elder is my fave OC lmao._

 _Smol Yag was deffo a nightmare. the Yagami clan is usually depicted as evil and terrible (thanks rin) but tbh If they were that awful, then Yag would have done the chop-chop on everyone ages ago. I kinda wanted them to be chill mafia bros - that are still alive, and sorta play chess with him. Everyone plays chess with him._

* * *

 _*Ohoho~ Young Heir, It's been a long time since you've called! How is my favorite nephew doing? Causing trouble for me~?*_

"Shut up Old man! Listen to me-"

Iori shouted into the handheld receiver and made a face. The fourth elder was one of his leerier uncles, and frankly Iori hated him. The old bastard always sounded like he was mocking you when he spoke, and he liked to pinch Iori's cheeks. Iori had heard that mocking lilt so many times throughout his early life, he had developed a knee-jerk reaction to throw a tantrum whenever the Fourth Elder wandered by to poke fun at him.

Even now, the habit stuck - and Iori had to take special attention _not_ to set himself on fire and stomp his feet at the sound of that voice. _Man! I hate this guy!_

"Someone attacked me a couple of days ago - Hong Kong. Assassin, poison. You remember?"

 _*Yes, Yes… if only you let us send some of our guards to help you - you wouldn't have been in that situation. You really sh-*_

"Shut up, old man!"

The fourth elder laughed and Iori nearly hurled the receiver to the floor. Luckily, one of the family employees managed to yank the cord before the phone's headpiece shattered on the subway floor. All around them, subway riders watched with confused expressions on their faces. They were headed to one of the Yakuza safehouses in the area (it probably needed to be abandoned after this), and Iori had been so antsy to talk to his weird uncle that he demanded to be patched through in such a public setting. Although it was against protocol, the guards obeyed.

"Look - I dealt with that stuff myself. I don't need your help… now, there was another incident just yesterday. My fucking employee got kidna-"

 _*Oooh~ The good looking blonde one, right? I'm happy you found a new boyfriend.*_

" _NO He's Not my Boyfriend!_ Stop it! This is serious!"

Iori shrieked. The fourth elder chuckled. His guards were cringing. So were the passengers. So was Rock Howard - who, despite all of Iori's attempts to send him away - had followed, and was now quite uncomfortably squashed beneath Iori's armpit. Iori looked down to glare at him, then turned to glare at everyone else. After years living abroad, he had forgotten how unbelievably packed Asia's trains/stations could be. It was just his luck he had decided to take public transport during rush hour. Despite his heavy security, Iori was certain he'd had his balls fondled at least twice by the time they actually _got_ in a train and started moving.

 _*Now, now, child… you're in public. Don't embarrass yourself. Be nice or your guards will die of shame… now, tell Uncle what's bothering you.*_

Iori bit back another screeching session and let the comment slide. He took a deep breath and went serious. The fourth elder liked to screw around and tease him - but ultimately he was reliable with a tremendous amount of wisdom and experience. Iori always contacted him first when issues arose concerning 'The Family' business.

"Shanghai, my employee gets kidnapped by a heavily armed squadron. The only reason he's alive is because IKARI showed up to take the force out. These people weren't joking around. My kid has no connections in China - only to me. And I just fired him… oh, also, no police came chasing after him… What do you think?"

 _*... It's either the Triad, or your boy is lying. You tell me.*_

Iori glanced back down to find Rock was no longer wedged up against him. Instead, he had grabbed a balding man by the wrist and was busy yelling angrily at him. From the embarrassed look on his face, Iori guessed Rock just finished getting his balls fondled. Iori rolled his eyes.

"Nah, he's not lying. Triads then. Tell me what to do."

 _*...Well, first - test my theory. Thanks to your mastery of the Magatama, the Yagami clan, and the Yakuza, has grown quite a bit stronger. Even so, it is no small thing to go to war with the Triads. Even the-*_

Iori cut him off. He didn't care about the political mumbo-jumbo.

"Shut up old man! I don't need an explanation. I need a plan. What's the best course of action?"

The fourth elder groaned dramatically, then huffed and gave Iori what he wanted. Iori motioned wildly at one of his guards until he was handed a pen and paper. He knew he wouldn't remember anything the fourth elder said after he got off the phone.

 _*Alright, young heir… Listen carefully - and have somebody write this down, because you won't remember… got it?*_

"Yeah. Talk old man."

 _*First, unless you want your boyfriend to get kidnapped and killed over the next few days - either keep an eye on him, or put him under security. Next, keep to public places. The Triad's are a proud and petty bunch. They won't endanger their own citizens. Don't do anything out of the ordinary - like wandering off alone to a seedy part of town… Hey! Do you hear me?*_

Both of Iori's hands were occupied scribbling on his notepad, and one of his guards was holding the phone up to his ear for him. He grunted an affirmative.

 _*No. Wandering. Off - got it? Ah, when you've finished your little concert, we'll send a helicopter to pick you up. Chances are, you travel privileges have been revoked. Good enough for you?*_

"Yeah. Bye."

 _*Alr-*_

Iori slapped away the phone being held to his ear, and stuffed his notepad into his pocket. Everyone on the train was all looking inquisitively at him. Luckily, Iori could address each party in turn via language barrier. He didn't even turn around when he raised his volume to shout Japanese at his twenty man entourage.

"Okay guys! Field trip cancelled. Back to the concert hall!"

An unhappy murmur ran through the suits. Whilst they complained amongst themselves, Iori twisted about until he found Rock - who had maneuvered his way to a wall. Iori switched to English.

"Good news Howard! You're un-fired. Also, you're not allowed to get kidnapped. I want you sticking to my ass like a parasite. You're not even allowed to take a dump without one of these dudes watching you. Capiche?"

" _W-what?"_

* * *

 _About half of Duckling's dialogue is just 'What'?_

 _E_


	75. Quid Pro Quo

_Mahjong boss vs Pharmaboss_

 _;o_

 _I imagine KP's situation is something big drug companies have to deal with all the time lol._

 _although I don't know how picky the FDA is... I do know Benzene will give you cancer. It's also a common non-polar solvent. Like you know how oil and water don't mix? some chemicals can only dissolve in water, and some can only dissolve in oil. When you need ot dissolve something in oil for a synthesis - you don't use cooking oil or shit like that. you use a non-polar solvent. Among them are Benzene and hexane._

* * *

"Madame Kagura, what do we do about the Nikaido deal? Do we need to disclose that ' _Integra30'_ uses benzene as a synthesis solvent? It's technically a carcinogen, but it doesn't affect the product at all. The drug is the same when synthesized in hexane, but just at a lower yield, and… "

Chizuru Kagura sighed as her Compliance and sales teams debated over KP's Liver Transplant drug disclosures. She listened to them bicker among themselves through half lidded eyes. The sales team always wanted to play fast and loose to get the product out and bring in the funds. The Compliance were a bunch of lawyers (Mr. Divorcee was finally back), and all they cared about was keeping KP out of the courtrooms…

 _I wish they did a better job… but I can't blame them. We quite literally have customers suing for emotional distress after successful cancer treatment… ugh._

"What do you think will happen when the FDA gets a hold of our synthesis? The moment they see benzene, they'll look no further. Nikaido isn't gonna be happy if he invests in this thing, and we can't market to the US because of your benzene drip! Change to Hexane! Madame Kagura!?"

She shut her eyes and pressed her forehead against her palm to think. All eyes were on her. As the CEO, she always had to deal with KP's biggest decisions. Oftentimes she had to choose between increasing sales and cutting corners with the law… and KP was a highly leveraged company with a paper thin budget. If her sales took a hit, then people got laid off. But then again, legal action by the United states would be costly as well … She didn't open her eyes when addressing the conference room.

"... Can we keep classify the Synthesis processes as confidential? Then we can synthesize with Benzene and avoid the entire problem… "

The sales team smirked to themselves. The Compliance team grimaced and muttered. It wasn't a great solution. It still carried substantial risk. What Chizuru Kagura needed was a friendly FDA insider who could plead her case and explain the benzene away. Her previous contact had just transferred to a different department, and as a result - Chizuru's product launch was floundering.

 _Ugh dammit…_

The compliance team spoke up.

"Sorry Madame Kagura. It's likely not a solution… the FDA really has it out for us. Even if they let us slide with the synthesis processes, they will definitely ask for an ingredient list. If they see benzene it's no go. The synthesis is the explanation… we should switch to hexane."

"Ugh… what's the yield with Hexane?"

The Sales team chirped in.

"50% - we get an equal split for chirality. Only R sequence works. S is toxic."

She groaned and stared deeply into her palms

"... that's not sustainable… not at all. We'll be taking losses with every bottle we ship… and so will our sponsors. Nikaido corp will have my head… _ugh._ "

She let out a deep sigh. She wished she could change people's minds by talking on the phone with them. If she could, she'd seize the minds of everyone in the _fucking_ FDA to get her drug approved. Alas, the mirror required line of sight and she - as the CEO of a drug company - was essentially banned from the building. Even if her drug boasted a 100% success rate in all clinical trials, (of course it had. It was built off NESTS research) bureaucracy would still bring it to its knees.

 _Damn US government…_

She raised her head to find everyone in the room watching her. She breathed hard out of her nose and stood.

"When is the filing deadline with Nikaido Corp?"

"One week ma'am."

"Give me three days. Tell Nikaido to wait. Dismissed."

As her teams filed out of the conference room, Chizuru turned to look out her window. It was ten in the morning, and her day was already terrible. Well… truly, it wasn't that much worse than most days. In fact, it was quite comparable to most days. She was a sucker for power and authority - even if said power came with massive headaches. KP was a tremendously powerful organization, and it's headaches were comparably massive.

 _Dammit… what to do…_

Chizuru held her chin in her hand and took a quick inventory of everyone she knew. Who could help her. Who had connections. Anyone know anyone in the FDA? Was anyone's wife friends with the FDA director's wife? How abo-

 _*zzzzzzzt*_

Chizuru flinched as her 'Important' phone went off. It rattled loudly against the table and Chizuru gritted her teeth and snatched it up. If Kusanagi was calling about his tummyaches again, she was going to choke him out. She glared at the caller ID, then, upon reading it, frowned in confusion.

 _Cheng Shinzan?_

The Hong Kong billionaire was one of her biggest investors. He was a jovial man who gave off airs of flippancy - but in reality he was very careful, very dedicated and his network was _widespread_. Whilst Chizuru wore a flat poker face in public, Mr. Cheng wore an idiot's face. He told her it helped him weed out who wasn't trustworthy. Well… regardless. Chizuru took a deep breath and put on her most honeyed voice. This man was tremendously powerful, and she absolutely could not afford to piss him off.

"Hello Mr. Cheng. This is Kagura."

 _*Chizuru! My illustrious young CEO… how are you doing this fine morning? Enjoying the weather I hope?*_

She emitted a fake laugh.

"Actually not so much… It's been a stressful start of the day for me. Regardless, what can I help you with Mr. Cheng? It's been some time since I've last heard your voice."

 _*Stressed? Oh no darling… well perhaps we can help each other. A little trade if you will. You see... I need a bit of a favour*_

* * *

 _I told you devilmom isn't evil in this man._


	76. Battle God - Heat

_Aight... uh, so I sorta needed to bring an extra character in because you can't actually play a concert with a metronome drumming for you lmao._

 _Also, Shen Wooooooo. He lives in Shanghai, and it kinda fit in pretty perfect thanks David Tai._

 _Also, I think I kinda got Athena's voice down in this. I'm getting a feeling for her._

* * *

For Shen Woo, today was a dream come true.

When he had first seen posters floating around of Athena Asimaya's and Iori Yagami's dual concert in his hometown, he had become terribly excited. Not because he was interested in their music - frankly Shen Woo didn't give a shit. He hardly gave a shit about anything. He cared only for his first love

… _adrenaline._

Shen Woo was a battle addict.

He spent his whole life chasing the thrill of the fight - and chase it he did. His senses became tuned to it. He sniffed out powerful people like a dog in heat. Athena Asimaya - sure, an Idol, whatever… _she was strong._ Incredibly strong. She could split a man in two with the twitch of her finger. She could crush you with nothing but a whim. Any normal man would stay far, far away… but not Shen Woo.

The _smell_ of power made his head spin. His explosive chi rumbled deep within his bowels and crackled up through his bones. It was raring, roaring, ready… it was ready to rumble.

So when he found Athena Asimaya standing in a bar with a metronome in her hand and interviewing drummers - Shen Woo was there too. Elbowing his way through the crowd - snapping at those who dared raise complaint. His violent reputation cut a swath before him. Nobody tussled with the mad dog. Nobody touched Shanghai's God of War… well, nobody did so intentionally, anyways. Athena didn't have a choice.

Shen Woo's voice was nearly beastial as he climbed atop a table and called out to her. She turned to hold him in a disdainful gaze.

"Athena Asimaya!… let's fight!"

She frowned at him, then rolled her eyes and planted delicate hands on delicate hips. Her form was frail compared to his, but she carried herself with absolute confidence. A confidence not borne of ignorance, or some misguided understanding of her own strength - but one proven through and through in the fighting ring. She was watching him like a man watched an ant - with the sort of pitying, gentle look only the supremely powerful could wear. She huffed and _turned her back on him,_ calling out over her shoulder.

"Please be polite and get in line. There are other people here as well."

She brushed him off as if he were nothing but a heckler. That made him _excited._ He hopped off the table and stalked toward and around her until they were nose-to-nose. Well, rather, chest-to-nose. Still she wasn't intimidated in the least. She hadn't even flinched. She glared up at him and wrinkled her nose, as if to subtly insult his body odor.

" _Let's Fight_!"

Shen Woo was shaking. His chi was coursing wild and thick through his veins and threatened to burst him at the seams. He was trembling with excitement. The scent of power was intoxicating - so much so - that nobody in the world looked quite as beautiful as Athena Asimaya. Not because she was outwardly very beautiful (Shen Woo honestly hadn't noticed) but because she had activated her strength. The ground beneath her feet had begun to tremble and the air distorted and tore about her. In that moment - a force struck him - a jolt of terrifying, electrifying, _stimulating_ power cracked against his chest and hurled him several paces back. It hurt. It ached… it was a mere tease.

" _Asimaya… let's Fight!"_

Athena glared at him in annoyance. She obviously thought this petty show was enough to scare him and send him away. But Shen Woo wasn't scared of anything. He felt her pitying stare, and wanted nothing more than to rush her down. He didn't necessarily want to _hurt_ her. No… Shen Woo didn't really want to hurt anyone. He was just addicted to the stakes. He loved the fight. The drama. The intensity. The loss. The victory…

"Let's Fight!"

She raised her hand, pointing a finger at him - then lifted. _He lifted._ The room's occupants were fleeing. Shen Woo saw them leave from the corner of his eyes - but he didn't care about them. They were inconsequential. They had no strength to speak of, and Shen Woo spared no thoughts for them. He grinned at the invisible bonds squeezing him and lifting him. His strength bubbled in his veins, zipping through him - head to toe - like bolts of electricity. His grin turned nasty. He released his power.

 _*CRACK*_

It burst from him in every which way. Rupturing Athena's bindings and landing his feet heavily on the floor. He raised his head and bared his teeth in excitement. The dog fangs in his necklace scraped against his skin and tickled his thirst for battle.

Still, Athena rolled her eyes at him. She looked rather miffed that he had chased away all of her drummer candidates, but otherwise seemed to feel no fear. Actually, Shen Woo _knew_ she felt no fear. He could smell the stench of a scared man from a mile away. She spoke to him with the same condescending voice.

"Oh… you're the Battle God, aren't you? I heard about you."

He laughed and replied roughly. His challenge was his affirmative.

"Fight me!"

"No."

She met his feverish gaze with cool eyes.

"If you beat Yagami, then I'll consider it - but for now, not a chance. What if I accidentally kill you?"

 _Iori Yagami?_

Shen Woo laughed. It went high, like a hyena's. Shen Woo had never fought Iori Yagami. The matchups just never allowed it. Yet, like everyone else, he had seen that terrifying display in the ring. Iori Yagami had nearly scorched the sky in his rage. That terrible and excessive violence which was so _barely_ under control, stirred beneath a pretty face, twisted like a monster under a human skin. His posture screamed experience - it knew how to kill. His eyes were so cold and empty, so cruel that none but psychopaths could bear them. His expression was one of flippancy and terrible capability, for his conscience was dead and buried.

… _beautiful._

Two… Two powerful fighters. One after the other. Yagami - sharp, cruel and surgical. His power was precise and merciless, it could cleave the marrow from bone. Strength borne from skill and technique - like a cold knife slid between the ribs. Asimaya - Supreme, crushing, _power._ Pure gravity. Pure force. There was no sharp - honed skill in her, but there was no need for it. She was a cludgeon. With the flick of her wrist, she could crush a building.

He wanted it. He wanted it. _He wanted it._

 _He wanted to fight it. He wanted to fight them_

 _*Tink… tink*_

He snapped his head over at the noise. Athena was tapping a drumstick against the cymbals. She tossed them to him and pointed at the drumset with her chin.

"Battle God. I hope you drum."

* * *

 _Shen Woo boutta blow a load lmao_

 _He's kinda oddly sexual._

 _He and Iori would get along. They're both lunatics, and Shen woo is blonde (lennyface)_

 _jk_

 _or maybe not lol._

 _Imma majick and give Shen Woo some drumming powers because honestly I need a drummer. Thank goodness I'm the author and can do this kinda shit..._


	77. Can Love bloom on the Battlefield?

_Oh man... I read through Shen Woo's profile and pretty much the only way to get him to do anything is to promise a strong opponent._

 _So tbh even if it reads kinda weird - like ultra dumbass - like Riot levels of dumbass - I think it's sorta kinda maybe closet to canon._

 _but what do I care. my Iori is like so far from canon he might as well be an OC (barfs)_

 _:(_

 _I don't thank you guys enough for reviews. I always appreciate feedback._

* * *

Almost immediately upon materializing in the concert hall, Shen Woo skidded up to the stage and tried to punch out Iori Yagami. The man in question was perched on the piano bench and diligently picking out a melody when he was surprise-attacked. Athena watched with a bored expression as Shen Woo hurled himself at the red-haired man and tried to punch a hole right through him. Of course, Iori's dodged, and immediately the quiet-peaceful practice scene devolved into cacophony.

" _Iori Yagami! Fight me!"_

"What?! What are you saying?! Who the hell are you? Bitch you're dead!"

" _Hahaha! Let's fight!"_

"I'm gonna kill you!"

Shen Woo didn't speak Japanese, and Iori Yagami didn't speak Chinese - but despite neither of them understanding the other, Athena found that their conversation's back and forths were quite natural. She rolled her eyes and briefly considered seizing the two apart and demanding they go play in traffic, but Iori Yagami was technically her business partner - and he was already going to be mad at her for bringing the battle god here. Best not to get involved… or at least, more involved than she already was.

 _Whoops…_

The piano was pulverized, and the entire lid burst off to fly at Rock Howard - who was sitting at the edge of the stage. He only managed to scramble to his feet before Athena teleported him out of harm's way. He yelped as he materialized into the folding chair beside her. His eyes were wide and clutched his guitar to his chest whilst his brain unscrambled itself. He stuttered a weak 'thank you'. Athena pretended not to hear it.

Instead, she gathered her power, focused, and _-zilped-_ the two battle-lunatics apart. Shen Woo appeared at her side (he didn't seem disoriented at all by her teleportation), Iori remained on stage (he had instinctively activated his flames to block her power). Neither party looked pleased with her. Iori made his displeasure known first.

"Asimaya! What the fuck!"

" _You said I could fight him! Let me fight him!"_

"I told you to find me a drummer! Not a street fight!"

" _I want to fight him!"_

Athena glared at both men and suddenly felt she knew what Chizuru Kagura dealt with. She felt a pang of sudden and immediate sympathy for the illustrious woman's plight. However, unlike Chizuru Kagura, Athena was fairly certain Yagami wouldn't do as she told him. He wouldn't react violently toward her - in fact, after Hong Kong's disaster of a concert, she had tracked Iori down and spent two hours screaming at him. If he didn't retaliate then, he wasn't going to now… but that certainly didn't mean he was going to be compliant.

"Athena! Explain that bitch!"

Iori roared at her from across the room. He jabbed a finger at the man floating upside-down behind her.

"And why is Howard vomiting!?"

He jabbed his finger at the boy retching over his guitar. It seemed Rock was a bit travel-sick. Athena wrinkled her nose at him, and he looked guiltily up at her. She sighed and teleported up to the stage. She didn't want to spend her voice on something like this. She had a concert tomorrow.

She fixed Iori with an exasperated look and planted her hands on her hips. He mimicked her posture and tapped his foot impatiently against the floor. Behind him, the piano was blown to bits - but the remaining stage ornaments seemed to survive the battle unscathed. _That_ was a miracle. She huffed and jerked her head at the floating man at the other end of the room. He was still trembling in excitement and was wearing that vicious battle-hungry grin. Even whilst being teleported, he hadn't shifted his feverish gaze from Iori.

"That's your drummer."

" _Excuse me?!"_

"He's a big fan."

Iori stared at him incredulously, then shifted to look at her. There might as well have been a question mark painted on his face. He needed explanation. He would have to make do with:

"Shanghai's Battle God… I think you'll get along."

A frown, then a resigned shrug.

"Fine… Tell him I'll fight him after rehearsals. We're running out of time… did you take my metronome?"

* * *

Ten minutes later, the smashed piano had been carried out, the stage (and Rock Howard's breakfast) was cleaned, and everything had settled down. Athena had managed to coax Shen Woo into the drummer's stool with the promise of being allowed to fight afterwards. He still had that wild look in his eyes, but at least he wasn't punching anyone.

Iori was sitting hunched over directly in front of the drum shield and staring deeply into the floor. The metronome was ticking loudly at his feet, his phone was balanced on his knee. It was switched to his tuning app. The needle swung wildly every which way. Athena grimaced at that.

 _His pitch is everywhere… ugh._

Athena stood behind him playing translator. Honestly, it didn't really matter whether Iori approved of Shen Woo or not, Athena wasn't going to find him another candidate. Knowing this, Athena subjected herself to helping these two lunatics communicate, just so they could get back to rehearsals.

 _*Bum-bum-tss… Bum-bum-tss… Bum-bum-tss… *_

Athena winced at the simple beat. Kensou was much, much better... but Kensou was-... She stopped her thoughts. Right now was no time for sulking. If she wanted this concert to be a success, she had to be the adult in this room of children. She tapped Iori on the shoulder. He didn't look up from the floor.

"How is he?"

"He's... On _-fucking-_ time… Good tempo… pitch? _eh_ … "

Iori made a face, then stood and nodded at her. His snatched up his guitar from the floor and strapped it over his shoulder.

"Good find. I'm in love. Let's practice."

* * *

 _Gotta practice 40 hours a day man._

 _Ling Ling_

 _reeee_


	78. Jealous

\- _transition chap ugh boring SMH_

 _Shenwoo is a treasure_

 _Adam is Rock's friend from college. That line of thought is utterly inconcequentisl._

* * *

For Rock, the day flew by so quickly it was over before he knew it. It had been an eventful day. Not _horribly_ eventful like yesterday had been, but eventful nevertheless. He'd been fired. He'd be un-fired. He almost got killed by a flying piano… then he felt himself turn inside out as Athena teleported him across the room - _that_ was a story.

 _I should tell Adam about it… phew…_

And now, Rock was sitting in a restaurant having dinner with his three band-mates. It was about eight in the evening, and the sun had already set outside. There was a comfortable murmur floating through the restaurant. The noise casual atmosphere was occasionally punctuated by Iori yelling something, and the crazy blonde guy yelling something back. If Rock hadn't already spent the past two weeks drenched in second-hand embarrassment, he would have cringed into the floor. But alas, this childish display seemed positively mild.

He sighed, tried to relax and looked at the ceiling.

His mind was hazy and nothing really felt real. Everything moved way too fast. Every _one_ was moving way too fast. People were teleporting around. People were destroying things. Everything was ridiculous and Rock found himself in the thick of it. He was a sane man in the midst of a madhouse… It was only a matter of time until he lost his head too.

… But right now, Rock wasn't here just for his career. He had a more noble purpose.

 _Still… am I going crazy? Did Iori infect me? Keep it together Rocky… Only a few more days…_

Rock shook the thoughts out of his head and gulped down his glass of water. He side eyed the band members around the table.

… _maybe they're all crazy._

The atmosphere hanging over them was bordering on unfriendly. Athena sat across from him. She had dead eyes and ignored everyone around her as she single-mindedly dissected her salmon filet. Iori - beside him - was wearing a continual scowl as he glared at the Blonde Guy. He had already wolfed down his prime rib and all of his attention was focused on the being as surly and toxic as possible.

 _Boss is definitely crazy…_

The blonde guy (Rock had never learned his name), though beaten and bloodied, seemed to be very, very excited. He was buzzing in his seat and the energy Rock had seen in him when he flew across the room and tried to kill Iori hadn't abated in the least. His movements were quick and jerky - as if he were holding himself back. Actually, everything about this guy was exactly that. Like all he wanted to do was run around and fight, and he was just _barely_ holding it in to give the appearance of normalcy.

 _Complete nut…_

There was scarce conversation, and none of it was in English. Iori was sitting next to him, tired and smelling like smoke. He had been roughed up quite a bit and he looked slightly more disheveled than usual. He had opted not to use his flames while sparring, and had earned himself several nice bruises. The crazy blonde guy was slumped beside Athena looking even worse for wear. That guy was all torn up _(Athena had patched him)_ \- but _he_ was grinning. Both looked frazzled and antsy. Throughout the day, the two of them had spent a lot of time fighting and screaming at each other, and it seemed even upon leaving the venue, Blonde man wanted to continue their battle. Iori didn't.

" _I didn't lose yet!"_

The blonde guy was saying something. He jabbed a finger across the table at Iori and growled. Even though he had put on a scary face, it was clear there was no bloodlust. Perhaps there was even a grudging respect.

" _I challenge you after dinner! Let's fight!"_

Rock turned to look at him, then to Iori who replied in Japanese. It was clear Iori couldn't understand the blonde guy, but despite the language barrier, it seemed they communicated just fine. Hell, even Rock could sort of figure out what was happening just from their tone of voice and posture. Blonde man was probably challenging Iori to a rematch. Iori would probably insult him and refuse. He looked pretty tired.

" _Ain't tired of getting your ass beat? Look, I could go all night - but I'm not wasting my time on you. You lost, shut up!"_

" _Fight me!"_

Iori just flipped him off and said what Rock was pretty certain was - 'Eat shit' in Japanese.

" _くそくらえ"_

" _C'mon, Fight me!"_

 _(etc…)_

Well, despite everything, the blonde guy was a pretty decent drummer. For sure, he wasn't better than Kensou - but Iori wasn't trying to stuff a metronome down his throat, so he must have been alright. Even considering the tremendous amount of drama that had ensued today, the rehearsals ran smoothly and _really_ did sound quite good. Iori had decided to sight read Yashiro's part, so Rock didn't need to practice extra scores, something Rock appreciated.

 _Well… I think I'll be fine tomorrow... Nobody is focused on me anyways… phew…_

Rock sighed and let his mind wander as he dug into his prime rib. They had -perhaps unwisely- returned to the same restaurant Iori had murdered Yashiro in, and the staff were giving them stink-eye. The restaurant didn't turn them away though. Perhaps because they were tailed by a tremendous group of security guards who were also going to pay and eat.

Regardless, it was clear the staff didn't want another murder scene on their hands, and refused to bring anyone at their table any alchohol. That put Iori in a bad mood, but at least he wasn't going insane and killing another band member.

" _Fight me!"_

" _Fuck you!"_

Someone threw a kick beneath the table, and it struck Rock in the knee. He jerked, nearly stabbed himself in the throat with his fork, and squeezed his eyes shut. He only opened them again when the pain faded. He sighed and glanced across the table. Athena had finished her salmon dinner and was daintily wiping her mouth with the table handkerchief. She gave him an apologetic glance, then disappeared. Her ability to escape any situation instantly, made Rock terribly jealous.

 _"Fight me!"_

 _"Shut up!"_

Rock took another bite of his prime rib, more carefully this time, and groaned when he was kicked again. This time Iori noticed and stood out of his seat to plant his hand in the breadbasket and lean over to shout at Blonde Man. Rock watched them with something akin to despair in his eyes.

 _Finally found someone just as crazy as Boss… they sure get along… they're a match made in hell._

Perhaps they really were, because Iori had been occupied with Blond guy since the moment they laid eyes on each other. Rock had tried many times throughout the day to get a word in with his boss to ask for Sierah's eyes, but Iori was far too distracted to even give him the time of day. Even now, Rock's employer was completely and utterly engrossed in playing violent footsies and getting his shins kicked by Crazy Blonde Guy. Rock side eyed him tiredly then gave up. Besides, if he _did_ ask - he'd probably get the same answer as this morning: ' _You're on probation. Finish my concert first.'_

Rock stared deeply into his dinner, feeling quite neglected. A couple of days ago, Rock would have wanted nothing more than to be neglected - but right now, if he was going to get what he wanted, he probably needed to kiss some ass.

 _Ugh..._

And if the 'kiss-ee' was too distracted to notice the 'kiss-er' that wasn't good news for Seirah. The Blonde guy was making his life hard, and Rock didn't appreciate it.

 _*Brrrrrrrr*_

Iori's phone rang and he promptly snatched it up and answered it. He immediately (rudely) climbed over Rock to leave the booth and walk briskly out of the restaurant. Blonde man stood up and followed him, not seeming to care that his target was obviously otherwise engaged. Rock sighed and focused back on his meal. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but Iori was pretty loud.

"Hello? What is it, Kagura."

English. Wait, where had Rock heard that name before. _'Kagura'_... wasn't that…

 _Oh shoot! The CEO Lady!_

He snapped to attention and sat up. He looked about wildly for Iori who was rapidly walking out to the lobby and out of earshot. Rock quickly stood from his table to follow.

"What? You want me to play bodyguard for someone? Seriously? Kagura - is this a joke? I'm not-"

"Sir, please pay for the table."

Rock had been intercepted by restaurant staff and was pulled away to swipe Iori's credit card. By the time he finished signing receipts and ran out to the lobby, Iori and his blonde stalker had disappeared.

* * *

 _Concert tomorrow, but the fun happens after that. I wonder if I need to write concert. e,e_

Thanks for your feedback friends


	79. WeedWacker

: _eyes:_

* * *

Tuesday Morning.

Concert day.

Shen Woo was excited.

He wasn't excited about the concert. He didn't really care. All he needed to do was play in time and he was promised all the fighting he could ask for. Iori Yagami was a great opponent. He was everything Shen Woo expected, and more. For the majority of yesterday, Yagami was willing to roll up his sleeves and duke it out with him. No powers. No chi. Just good old hand-to-hand bare knuckle boxing. Shen Woo had collected a disgusting number of bruises, but gave as good as he got. Although he didn't manage to hit Iori that often, it was immensely satisfying when he did - because clearly, Iori was significantly more frail than he was. A few good hits and he was just as banged up as his opponent.

Still, it was Shen Woo's loss. Yagami was no slouch.

By the time they finished rehearsals, Iori was clearly the victor of this multi-hour long fistfight, but he didn't have the stamina Shen woo did. After the initial eight hours (with intermittent breaks to practice music) Iori was completely wrung out and wanted nothing more than to put Shen woo behind him.

But Shanghai's War God never lost a fight.

Iori would get no rest until Shen Woo achieved victory… and after a long night (longer for Iori), achieve victory he did. Now that Iori was beaten, the road was clear for his battle with Athena Asimaya. She had promised to fight him if he got past Iori, and despite _everything_ being terribly sore, Shen Woo was looking forward to it. Once this concert was over, he was going to pit his fists against the goddess.

 _I'm gonna fight her… hehehe. One down, one to go!_

He glanced at his downed opponent.

He and Iori had an unspoken agreement not to absolutely destroy each other - since they needed to be presentable the next day for the concert. Shen Woo had perhaps pushed that line a bit, because Iori was turning heads and raising eyebrows. The man had a ring of bruises around his neck, friction burns across his arms and shoulder, and angry red marks scattered about. He was exhausted. Shen woo had kept him up all night.

Of course, Shen Woo didn't escape unscathed either, but his skin tone was darker, and things didn't look quite as bad. He smirked at the other man, who was sitting beside him in the hotel lobby and leaned over the table. From the looks of it - had just dozed off into the crook of his elbow. Shen woo let him be. He had beaten the red-haired man quite badly, and in more ways than one.

" _Boss?"_

Shen Woo looked up. The American kid had caught sight of his employer and was walking over to their table. Shen Woo didn't speak English so he ignored the boy and continued chomping into his ice-cream sandwich. He watched as the American approached and tentatively woke Iori up. All the while, casting suspicious looks at Shenwoo. The kid was afraid of him. Shen Woo could smell it… _Stinky._

He poked Iori in the arm.

" _Hey Boss? Oh man, are you okay? You look… uh..."_

Iori groaned in response and flinched violently awake at the prodding. (There was a really nasty bruise on his left bicep. Shen Woo would know. He had put it there.) Iori rolled his head to glare at Rock with one eye.

"… _Oh, Howard?"_

" _Are you... gonna be alright?"_

" _Nah man, I'm really not… feel like I just got fisted by a weedwacker."_

" _...Fisted by a wee-?... Whoa… um..."_

The American looked at Iori, then slowly raised his eyes to meet Shen Woo's. He wore a question mark on his face. Shen woo grinned and gave him a thumbs up. He'd seen Americans communicate in that fashion all the time. It seemed to succeed, because it seemed to answer whatever question the American had. The boy opened his eyes really wide and looked back down at his employer.

" _...oh. Um…should I… call the police?"_

" _What? Why?"_

" _I mean… wait, what happened?"_

" _Just… just go away Howard… get something to eat. We're hitting the road in half an hour."_

* * *

 _I wonder what happened?!_

 _I mean, Yag isn't too reliable as a narrator... but then again._

 _haha, poor rocky._

 _just don't ask.  
_ _Shen woo or Rock HOward. who more bae?_

 _Yag is lucky He's sharing the stage with Athena. he can be ugly cuz he's not the eyecandy anyways._


	80. Cold Call

_dude making cold calls is literally the worst._

 _Yag getting a lot of love(pain?) from Shen Woo._

 _lol iori doesn't even know his name._

* * *

"Her condition?"

"Not good sir." Clark's voice was low and strained. It sounded as if he were speaking through gritted teeth. "The initial transplant didn't take - we had to remove them otherwise the immune system would have eaten the rest of her nerves. The steroids we've administered could only do so much."

The commander sighed and shook his head. Clark stood beside her as he delivered the bad news. His mouth was set in a grim line and his brow was shadowed. He had been clinging onto to hope for Seirah for the past 18 hours, but it looked like even he was giving up. Leona hardened her gaze and glared at the floor - doing her best to keep her frustration off her face.

The commander tapped his fingers on his desk as he mulled over his thoughts. The three of them were in his office at the Argentina base. It was a sparsely decorated and utilitarian space. Today, it felt even colder and more barren than ever before. Leona felt the stale air chill in her lungs.

With a grunt, the commander stood from his chair to address them.

"Understood. If anyone can do it, KP can… any response from Yagami? Leona."

Leona stepped forward, saluted and forced out a couple of words. Her voice was completely monotonous and betrayed none of the turmoil within. Seirah was somebody near and dear - and seeing her go would inflict a long-lasting wound. She sighed.

"None. Sir. He… hadn't returned my call."

"How many times did you call? "

"... once, sir?"

"Call again."

"Yes. Sir."

She nodded in acknowledgement and stood stiffly. Leona was a very capable woman, but there were things she was _extremely_ uncomfortable doing. Among these things were public speaking, conversational speaking, speaking over the phone… just speaking in general. She had every intention of calling Iori… but she was going to go write a script first. The commander frowned at her.

"Leona. Call him now."

"... Yes. Sir."

She sighed and stiffly pulled her cellphone from her pocket. She stared down at it and steeled her mind. She always kept tabs on Iori's schedule, and knew his concert was over. Usually he held a sort of informal back room meet-and-greet right after, where he signed autographs, took selfies and occasionally napped. He would very likely take her phone call now that the concert was over… granted he wasn't asleep. Leona inhaled a long breath and stared deeply into her phone.

 _Ugh… you've spoken to him before… calm down._

Behind her, Clark was conversing with the commander. She listened in on their conversation whilst she collected her thoughts and gathered courage to press 'call'.

" _You said you were in contact with… Iori's bandmate. Update."_

" _Yeah, Rock Howard. He seemed really excited to help. I called him last night. He hasn't gotten back to me yet. He said he would delay quitting his job to try and get Seirah some eyes. Leona said he was there during the incident, and he sounded pretty guilty over the phone. He won't leave us hanging - but he might not succeed either… you know how Yagami is."_

" _Hm… well, give him a call as well. See how he's coming along. We need to pull all stops for Whip. She's a good operative, and I don't want to discharge her. It'll be painful for all of us."_

" _Understood, Commander."_

Leona felt eyes on the back of her head, and she gulped. She shook off her anxiety and jabbed 'call'. She pressed the phone to her ear and breathed hard. She _really_ did want Seirah to get better, but another part of her dearly wished her call went to voicemail. She felt her heartbeat in her skull as the phone rang.

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Brr-Click*_

 _*Who the fu- What do you want Heidern!*_

Leona nearly jumped out of her skin. She stuttered something incomprehensible as Iori shouted at her. He sounded pretty pissed off and was talking unnaturally quickly. There was a lot of noise in the background. And Leona deduced that Iori had decided to nap during his meet-and-greet time.

Perhaps he had smoked something too.

 _*I'm busy! Everyone wants a bite of me! Howard is bugging me for Kagura's phone number. Athena's pissed that I got the shit kicked outta me and I look like a soaked rat. Kagura is sending me on errands again, and my drummer spent last night turning my ass into fried salami - and now he's back for more because he's bored and Athena won't take him off my hands. If you want something you'd better line up 'cause I'm mister popular today!*_

There wasn't a good response to that. Leona's mind raced and she suddenly wished she had never called. She was already a bad conversationalist when in a friendly and relaxed setting. Under pressure? No way. She blanked and she stuttered out a:

"S-sorry. I-I uh. I just wanted to… um."

 _*Also, did your Dad let you off easy? I know that bastard is a nutjob, so I asked Kagura to call in and do something for you. How did it work out?*_

Iori was still talking really fast, but some of the annoyance had fallen out of his voice. Leona rushed to keep with his pace.

"I-I had to peel potatoes, and, and-"

 _*Oh wow, that sucks. Okay nice talking to you. I'm going back to sleep cause this blond shithead punch-man kept me up all last night, and I've gotta head downtown to do Kagura's dirty work at eight. Bye!*_

"Yagami! Wait! A favor! I need-"

 _*No! I said get in line! Call me when it's your turn. I have my hands full already with- *_

A shriek. Leona jerked the phone away from her ear to preserve the integrity of her eardrum. The other occupants of the room heard him as well and turned to frown.

 _*Oh shit! He found m- *_

 _*Click*_

Leona blinked and slowly lowered the phone. She stared blankly at the screen for a couple of moments before pocketing it and turning back to the other two men in the room. They were both staring at her. They looked equal parts disappointed and exasperated.

Clark was the first to speak. If the situation weren't so dire, he most certainly would have laughed.

"Maybe we should try Kagura again…at least she… well, that kid… he just ain't right."

The commander sighed and went to collapse back down into his chair. He pinched the bridge of his brow and picked up the phone again. He dialed and gave commands as the phone rang.

"Clark, keep tabs on your kid. Leona, call Yagami back in two hours. Report back with updates. Dismissed."

* * *

 _I literally write scripts for myself when I make calls._

 _Iori Yagami would be the worst dude to call man._

 _Ugh. I hate him._


	81. Hey, Listen

_I'm all yours_

 _Sadly Shenwoo cameo won't last much longer. I deffo like him and wanna write him more._

 _I think David is gonna write some stuff for him. I dunno. Check Discord_

 _btw join discord. We've got some KOF FF ppl on there and we always appreciate new members_

* * *

"Boss! Listen to me! Please, Whip is in trouble and-"

"Dammit Howard. Shut up! _Please!_ Why are you even here! _"_

Iori had turned to shout at his employee, and when he saw that flint in the teenager's eyes - he knew he wasn't going to get rid of him. He gritted his teeth and continued striding along the street with Rock Howard in tow.

 _Fuck!_

He was tired and sore. _Really fucking tired and really fucking sore_. Something was tugging awfully in his hips with every step he took. His arms were groaning from the effort of punching that bastard so much (imagine that!). If Athena hadn't worked some of her magic, and spent nearly an entire bottle of foundation, Iori seriously might have been forcibly taken to the hospital by some concerned bystander. Last night was a blur. Drummer man didn't seem to get tired, so after a long day of winning (yesterday) - starting at 2 am, Iori began to lose. Now he looked like absolute shit, and felt even worse.

"Boss! You said you would listen to me afte- _Hey! Wait up! Ugh… Come on!_ "

Rock's voice was beginning to grate on Iori's ears, so he strode faster and more purposefully. He only managed to squeeze in a half hour of sleep during the Band's backstage event (thankfully most of the fans were there for Athena anyways), before Leona, Rock and that blonde drummer bastard woke him up and started bugging him.

 _Fuck! Kagura… you had better treat me to dinner for this…_

Iori didn't really know what Drummer man wanted this time. Iori had nothing more to give - except, perhaps to slice him to ribbons and burn his corpse (which, even now, was completely out of the question). Iori wasn't about to murder Athena's drummer - even _if_ he had been tossed around like a rag doll last night. Besides, he had also been caught in the heat of the moment, and even though he was hurting, he couldn't pin all the blame on his opponent. Only the morning afterwards did Iori realize how completely fucked up he was and began regretting his engagement with Blonde Bastard.

"Boosssss… Lissstennnn… "

He was being closely tailed by Rock, who had just performed admirably on stage a couple of hours ago, and was now following him around and whining. Iori sighed. He probably should have taken some time to show his approval and welcome Rock back into the ranks of the safely employed, but he was so wasted that even those two lines of cocaine he'd snorted weren't enough to keep him awake. All Rock got was a thumbs up before Iori wandered backstage and found somewhere to curl up and go to sleep.

 _Okay… now where is this fucking resturaun-…_ "Ack! Howard! What the hell? Can you leave!?"

Iori stopped, let out an exasperated groan, and turned to look at his reinstated employee. Rock was glaring at him quite fiercely and had seized him by his arm. Specifically that ridiculous bruise Drummer Man had put on his left bicep. Iori shook him off and glared back. Obviously he wasn't too intimidating, because Rock refused to let go and just grabbed his (less bruised) wrist instead.

"Listen to me!"

Iori deadpanned at him. He _really_ didn't want to deal with Rock's problems right now… especially since he had to deal with Kagura's problem. He looked around for his entourage to get some help sending his student back to the hotel, but found himself quite alone. It was getting dark out and the street was strangely barren. Even the traffic was scarce. _What…_

"...Where the hell is everyone?" Iori whirled to look around, and was stopped short by Rock's grip on his wrist. He snarled. "Howard! Let go!"

"No! _You need to listen!_ Whip got her eyes torn out by Shermie, and I need you to-"

"Who the hell is Whip? I'll whip _you_ if you don't get out of my way. Go back to the hotel. I've got shit to do, and I can't have you here! Lea- _Fuck!_ "

Rock curled his lip and yanked at his arm, twisting his shoulder in a way it _really_ didn't want to be twisted. Iori yelped, reeled and nearly bit his tongue off. When he recovered, he looked at Rock with less annoyance, and more incredulous confusion. He grabbed onto his complaining shoulder and flung off Rock's grip. He narrowed his eyes.

"...Howard."

Rock still had flint in him.

"Whip is the IKARI girl that's been following us. She lost her eyes a couple of days ago. Shermie tore them out!"

Iori spoke sarcastically. He was angry. He felt something hot bubbling in his veins, and Riot was chuckling and laughing in his head. He breathed out hard through his nose.

"Oh really? Sucks for her. I wish she hadn't lost her eyes. I'm sorry for her loss. The fuck you want me to say?! Go away! Fuck! Where is everyone!"

"Iori! I need you to call… Karuma."

"What?!"

"The CEO! Karuga! Kamuga! Uh… shit."

Rock went digging in his pants pockets for something. Iori took the opportunity to stride away. Kagura needed him to go show his face at one of her business partner meetings - or some shit - and he wanted to get it over with. There were few things Iori hated more than business meetings. Chizuru had dragged him along to _many_ and he had fallen asleep at _all_ of them. It was… supposed to be in this building.

Iori sighed and looked up at the building. It was a large imposing structure that seemed quite dilapidated. They were obviously people inside, but something… was a little bit strange. Normally these business meetings were held in the middle of the city in fancy restaurants. Was this a drug deal? Maybe Mafia dealings? Iori's shoulder protested as he twisted to pull his phone from his back pocket and checked the address one ' _Mr. Cheng'_ had texted him. Iori frowned. _This… is the correct place…?_

"Boss! Wait! I need you to call ' _Chi-zu-ru Ka-gu-ra'_!"

Rock had pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and was flying down the sidewalk waving it and shouting at him. Iori grimaced as he approached, then quickly looked down to dial his head bodyguard. Iori had forgotten why his crew wasn't following him. He had probably dismissed them in annoyance some time ago. He wasn't sure… _I'm really fucked aren't I…_

"Boss! She can fix Whip's eyes! Can you call her? Please!?"

As the dial tone rang, Iori stared at the building and frowned again, even ignoring the pain that shot through him as Rock grabbed his left bicep again. This place was giving off a bad feeling. There was no immediate danger, but there was certainly something there. A malevolence. A killer intent.

"Boss? Are you calling her?"

Rock was staring at him. Iori ignored him and tried to sort out the situation. He wasn't afraid of the malevolence on his own. That building had the same feeling the battlefield had - and Instinct was sharp and honed. He would be fine if he walked in there… he could afford to throw caution into the wind, because frankly, he had cut down these Chinese assassins _without_ his flames. They wouldn't stand a chance now that he was fully geared up.

 _*Brrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrr*_

But if Rock walked in there with him… that was a different story. Iori always fought solo. The only person he tag-teamed with was another fireproof man named Kyo Kusanagi who was arguably the best fighter in the world. If Iori was going in there, Rock Howard wasn't.

"Boss! Did she pick up? What did she say?"

Rock Howard was clinging to him and looking at him excitedly. Iori just frowned down at him as his cellphone's dial tone buzzed against his ear. He didn't offer an answer and consciously switched to Japanese. Rock wanted him to call somebody, so maybe this little display would keep him satisfied until 'The Family's' guards pulled up and grabbed him.

 _Speaking of grabbing… since when did this kid get so touchy?_

 _*Brrr-*_

 _*click*_

 _*Yagami sir!*_

Iori yelled into the phone.

"Where the fuck."

 _*We… uh, we got pulled over sir. Perhaps it was the Chinese Mafia trying to harass us and-*_

"Shut the fuck up, you were just speeding and I don't give a shit. ETA?"

 _*... ten minutes? We're already driving. It was just a delay.*_

"I said I don't care. I'm on the corner of Henan and Fifth street circuit. I'm gonna run an errand for Kagura and I'm gonna leave the American kid here for you. Pick him up. If he goes missing, then I'll have your head. Take him back to the hotel."

 _*Understood, Sir*_

Iori hung up and huffed.

Rock was staring at him, clearly expecting an answer. Iori wasn't sure exactly what question he was supposed to be answering, but right now he didn't care so much. Rock's issue could be dealt with after Kagura's errand. He brushed off Rock's _painful_ grip on his bruise and dropped his voice to give instruction. Rock's gaze went from expectant, to excited, to betrayed.

"I'm gonna run an errand, okay? I need you to walk to the street corner over there," Iori pointed down the street, "And wait for my guards to pick you up. Don't follow me. I'll handle your caller issue tonight."

"...Boss, you…"

"I'm busy. Shit happens. Give me two hours and I'm all yours. Go."

Iori turned on his heel and began climbing the steps into the building. He felt confident that Rock would obey him despite the boy's constant displays of defiance over the past fifteen minutes. It really was a misguided sentiment.

Because about five minutes after Iori disappeared into the building, Rock climbed the steps and slipped in after him.

* * *

 _Iori got sent here for Chiz to get FDA approval lmao he doesn't even know._

 _Iori doesn't really care about Rock's problems tbh._

 _RIP Rock Howard bucthering Japanese names. He has some toruble with 'Iori' so he opts to go with 'Boss' most of the time._

 _what a darling_


	82. Boom-Boom

_Oh no another big boi (Chap)_

 _Long chap, and scene setting in the beginning._

 _e.e Yall thinking Rock should just man up and tell Yag like it is right?_

 _GG_

 _Attack of the Cheng Shinzan_

* * *

 _*creeeak*_

A floorboard creaked beneath his sneaker, and Rock instinctively flinched and froze. He was never good at sneaking around, he had honestly never found the need for it, but now he wished he had more snooping experience. When he first entered the building, he was met with a flashy and elaborate front for a restaurant. It was a brightly lit 'lobby' covered in cheap electric candles, spray painted furniture and the tapestries on the wall - which (when inspected closely) were held up by duct tape and safety pins. The place had obviously been hastily constructed, and - at least from all the crime films Rock had seen - was obviously a trap.

Or maybe just Iori's weird tastes. It was entirely possible that the crazy man had demanded this terrible restaurant front to be set up for no particular reason.

 _Weird… boss doesn't seem to really like fancy stuff that much…_

Well, whatever it was - trap or otherwise, Iori Yagami had disappeared into its depths not five minutes ago.

Rock wasn't really worried about his lunatic employer's safety. There was no use in it, because Rock couldn't help if anything went wrong. Iori had taken out Yashiro in the blink of an eye, so chances were he could take on anything else this city could throw at him… besides for Blonde Drummer Man of course.

 _Ugh… that guy… so annoying._

Blonde Drummer was a stitch in Rock's side. In fact, the only reason he had decided to snoop in here, instead of waiting in the comfort of the hotel was because he _knew_ the moment Iori finished his errand, Blond Drummer was going to find him, and they would get in another fistfight. If Iori got in a fistfight (and whatever _else_ he was doing afterwards with that guy), then he sure as hell wasn't going to remember to call his CEO friend and grow Whip some eyes. This might be the only opportunity Rock had to help Whip regain her sight. Clark had mentioned something about her nerves dying, so time was of essence.

 _Alright… where is he..._

Rock sighed as he tiptoed along the gaudily decorated corridor. He had expected to go in the building to find Iori playing cards or something, but upon walking confidently past a veritable storeroom filled with scary looking rifles… well, he went on the _alert_ to say the least. It was entirely possible this was one of Iori's mafia meetings or something, and if so - Rock needed to find and attach himself to his employer before someone shot him for trespassing.

 _Oh dammit… shit…_

Rock was peeking around a corner when a bodyguard turned around and cast a look in his direction. He quickly redrew, pressed his back against the cold wall and prayed the man didn't see (he had a gun). Rock had spent the last couple of minutes getting lost in the corridors of the fake restaurant, and had wandered his way out of the the gaudy section, and into the derelict section. Now, he was tip-toeing his way through a dark, creaking hallway lit by the occasional fluorescent pipe. The breath in his lungs beat to the rhythm of his pulse, and the floorboards were hard on his soles as he carefully crept his way through.

 _Shhh… careful._

Up ahead, an open door, there was light and chatter coming from within. To his left, rickety old windows opened to a narrow, trash filled alleyway. The draft hissed through the stained panes, and the cold evening mist seeped in. Outside, the sky was dark and the air was dirty and wet - more like haze than twilight fog. Rock gulped and pressed his cheek against the cold, splintering wood. It was rough against his face, but he steeled himself and listened. Unmoving.

He heard the murmur of conversation in a language he didn't understand.

 _(something wrong?)_

 _(... nah, I thought I saw something, but-)_

 _(Hey, forget it. Even if it is somebody, the biggest threat here is the Yakuza brat. Come on - We're about to execute him.)_

 _(...Right. Coming.)_

Rock listened to their conversation (not understanding a word) and breathed a sigh of relief as the guard turned around and his footsteps retreated. He peeked around the corner again to find it empty, then scurried down the hall and through the door behind the armed guards. It seemed that this was the back entrance to the dining room.

… _hmm, what's that smell?_

As he padded down the short corridor, Rock realized he was acting quite recklessly. However, it wasn't a completely stupid recklessness. Recently, he had pitted his own power against firearms and came out victorious. Additionally, he reasoned there were two situations that could play out, all of which ended with Iori recognizing him - and stopping any potential conflict.

 _Smells like… gasoline? No…_

If this was Iori's own mafia meeting, he would just be annoyed and probably order someone to sit him down with a packet of crackers. If this was a Mafia meeting with another gang, even then, the danger was minimal. It was a common rumour that Iori could melt bullets. Rock had seen him melt Yashiro's flying stone spear, so he was confident in his employer's ability to handle things if they got messy. The moment Iori saw him, he'd be fine.

 _Stove gas… natural gas? Did the kitchen spring a leak?_

Well, honestly Iori was probably going to be pissed that Rock hadn't gone back to the hotel.. but Iori was always pissed… and he wasn't one to hold grudges either. If Rock was lucky, Iori would see him, roll his eyes, lecture him, then call on his CEO friend right then and there. At that point, Rock was free to quit and fly back to America.

 _Yeah… the smell is pretty strong in here… why the hell aren't they ventilating?_

Rock frowned then shook his head. The end of this corridor led into the dining room and Rock quietly padded toward it. He peeked around the corner, the smell of cooking gas thick in his lungs. He scrunched his nose and poked his head into the room.

There he was, Iori Yagami sitting in a rather relaxed posture for somebody with four guns pointed at his skull. He looked bored, as if the firearms were nothing but laser pointers meant to annoy him. He was slouched in his seat with one foot laid across the table and his arms crossed over his chest. He was snarling something at his firing squad of about… 8 heavily armed men. They looked nervous - as if they were considering simply abandoning mission and turning tail.

 _("You bastards are dumbasses. Are you all suicidal? Because now I don't even need to put effort into blowing this building to kingdom come. Damn, I wish all my enemies filled their buildings with gas before trying to jump me.")_

 _("You… you're bluffing! Prepare to die!")_

 _("Yeah, whatever. I wanna send a message to your bosses, so… you! - Run. The rest of you stay so we can go boom-boom together.")_

Iori hadn't yet seen him. It looked like he was locked in some sort of lopsided stalemate with the firing squad. One of them turned and ran out of the building. His colleagues shouted at him and the room was momentarily chaos. Rock took the opportunity to wave at Iori and get his attention. He whispered loudly.

 _("Hey! Boss!")_

No response.

 _("Hey! Hello?")_

The red-haired man turned to look blankly in his direction, but didn't make any eye contact. _Dumbass! Are you blind?_ Luckily, the 8 man firing squad was only keeping half an eye on their victim, and were fully engaged with each other. Rock waved his arms and whisper-shouted.

("Iori! It's me!")

That worked.

Iori saw him and recognized him…

And in a moment the smug confidence he was wearing became terrified confusion. His posture - which a moment ago had been so relaxed - tightened as if he'd been electrocuted. He crunched through his armrests and turned stiffly to stare at the firing squad in panic. Rock felt his stomach drop as he watched his employer's expression change from ' _under control'_ to ' _holy shit'_.

 _Oh no… nonono. What happ-_

It seemed Rock's 'Whisper-shouting' was quite loud enough for the firing squad to hear, and they quickly put their arguments on hold. They took one look at Iori and began firing.

*BANG-BANG-BANG*

The noise of gunfire was so loud, it made Rock see stars. So earsplitting that he froze, stunned. He didn't remember the guns at the shipyard being so loud, nor as terribly violent sounding. Maybe it was because of the close quarters? Rock wasn't sure. The sound blasted all the thoughts out of his head, and all he could do was turn tail and make a stumbling attempt at escape.

" _Shit! Fuck!_ "

Somebody shouted from behind him. Rock didn't turn. His head was muggy and pounding with terrible noise. Everything was a daze. His senses were sharpened and he was seeing the details in the floor, the pressure in his soles, and the voice behind his ear. Something dangerous whizzed over his shoulder and shattered the glass panes in front of him. He was running full tilt at a window and hastily looked in both directions to see which was a better route to take.

 _Someone's trying to kill me! Again! Do I fight?_

Rock gritted his teeth and turned on his heel. He had faced gunmen before. All he needed to do was kill them before they killed him and-

"Ouff!"

Somebody struck him in the stomach with incredible force, and he was thrown… no, _carried_ backwards _through_ those rickety pane windows. As he flew, he screamed and clawed at the person attacking him. They landed with a painful crunch in the trash filled alleyway, glass shards digging into his forearms and shoulders. Rock - enraged - was about to plant a fist into the man's gut, when he recognized his employer. He was yelled at as he was yanked to his feet.

"Howard! You idiot! _Fuck!_ Run! Let's go!"

Rock had no time to reply. He was grabbed by the arm, and dragged away at incredible speed. Iori was moving just like he had a few nights ago when killing Yashiro. It was abnormal, unearthly speed… but still not fast enough to escape the rain of bullets. There was the zipping noise of shots going past his ears, then, the earth shattering noise of a massive explosion lit the night. Rock turned to watch as the derelict fake restaurant burst with an incredible sound, throwing a bright orange flare into the sky. Beams and flaming debris flew out every which way and started fires in the nearby buildings. Gunshots and screams rang out from within.

 _Burning to death! Oh my god…_

They kept running. Iori kept going. Rock was doing his best to keep up with the pace Iori was dragging, but he simply couldn't. His brain was a mess. He moved mechanically. Only when they finally stopped two blocks away to collapse behind a dumpster, was Rock able to collect his reeling thoughts.

He stared into the deep blackness and stuttered.

"Oh god… B-boss… what the hell… was that..."

Iori didn't answer his question. The man's tone was strangely flat. Rock had expected to be yelled at, but Iori was showing no emotion whatsoever. Rock slowly turned his head to look at his employer's face in the dimness… nothing. Poker mask.

"Howard. Listen to me. Stay low. Be quiet. Wait…"

"Boss… are you alright?… your nose is bleeding."

Iori made no indication he'd heard him. He was sitting straight against the wall and leaned slightly toward Rock as if to keep pressure off his left hip bone. His fists were balled up and he was looking up at the sky. There was blood dribbling from his nose, over his lips, and off his chin. His normally sharp gaze was vacant and cloudy. Rock frowned at him. Even the deep shadows couldn't hide the fact something was _very_ wrong. He addressed Iori in a whisper.

"Hey… Boss? Are… what happened? Were you… hit?"

No response. Not even the movement of the eyes. Iori was breathing in low hisses, and was intentionally ignoring him. Rock silently climbed up on his knees and leaned over to observe the other man. His posture was strange - he leaned to his right… there was a dark stain in his left side, and the sound of… _dripping?_

What… _no way. He got hit?_

How could he be hit? Rock was certain he could melt bullets with his flames. Why didn't he use them while being shot at? Surely-...

 _The gas… he couldn't use his flames because of the gas, and I was there! Oh no… oh man… shit! Shit! Shit!_

Rock was shaking. He reached out to lift Iori's shirt and see the extent of the damage, but Iori caught him by the wrist. The movement was jerky and seemed to take a tremendous amount of effort. That cloudy gaze went sharp for a brief moment, but Iori's voice betrayed him. His words came out as a soft wheeze.

"Don't… touch. My blood… just wait… "

"What? Wait for what?"

Iori jerked his head at his cellphone. It was laying facedown on the ground and Rock could faintly make out a pulsing light emitted from it. GPS perhaps? And SOS signal? It didn't matter if Iori was injured too badly. Rock was no doctor, but he knew bullets to the gut weren't good. What if he was bleeding out? Rock picked up the phone with his free hand, and shook off Iori's slacking grip on his wrist.

The red-haired man offered no further resistance as Rock crawled over to his bad side to observe his injury under the light of the cellphone. He evidently didn't want to look, because he squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as Rock peeled the fabric out of the wound. A single glance - and Rock wanted to cry.

First Shermie. Then Seirah. Then Yashiro… now Iori.

Was he a token of bad luck? Everyone who he spent time with either got killed or terribly maimed? Because Iori Yagami, possibly one of the scariest people on planet earth, was sitting beside him with his side blasted through with rifle rounds. It wasn't a large wound, but it was a mess. There were bits of shattered rib sticking to the blood-soaked fabric when Rock pulled it away. Beneath, a mess of scrambled organs, oozing blood, marrow and torn muscle. It wasn't gushing blood because there were certain areas where the wound had been cauterized - likely by Iori himself.

Rock's hand shook as he carefully lay the fabric back over the wound. He put the phone on the floor as well. He felt his breathing hitch. He felt the weight of guilt in his guts, dripping ice cold into his bowels. He bowed his head. His voice trembled.

"Boss… I'm…"

"..."

Rock looked up. Iori was staring at the sky again, seemingly not acknowledging him at all. Then again, why would he? Clearly, Iori had the situation under control until Rock showed up. He knew of the gas, definitely. He wasn't afraid of it… but the moment he saw Rock, _then… then he panicked. Because of me…_

"... I-I should have listened... "

A movement of the eyes. Iori focused on him. The corners of his mouth turned downwards very slightly, and his brow furrowed. He was pale as a sheet, and his breathing was a low hiss. Rock felt his voice tremble.

"... I'm _so_ sorry. I-I… I never would have… "

" _Shut up._ "

Iori responded in a ghastly wheeze. His nosebleed didn't abate, and his teeth were dyed red when he spoke. His eyes were contemptuous. He looked like sneering death. Rock felt himself crumple. The coldness in his gut turned to ice.

" _Not… now. Don't you dare ... cry… in front of me… just… wait."_

* * *

 _Rock Howard doesn't know how to listen to directions lmao._

 _So what happened is this - Chinese mafia bros decide they're gonna try to snipe Yag - thinking he can't use his flames if they fill the place with flammable gas. No flames means no bulletproofing (he can still dodge shit tho). So tbh Yag would have been just fine blowing the whole building up (he's heatproof). would have saved him a ton of trouble. but when he saw Rock waving at him with that big beautiful smile, he went holy shit I'm gonna kill this bastard if I blow. fk me!_

 _So he makes a run for it - grabs his kiddo, launches them out a window, then blows up the building. while they're skedaddling. He got shot while running through the firing squad to grab Ducky. Riot doesn't feel pain, so he helped out a bit, but once adrenaline calms down Iori is like - lol guess im done with life rn gg._

 _Thanks rocky. love ya._

 _Now everyones in the hospital lol. Athena next?_


	83. Language Barrier

_Allright. Bye bye Shen. you darling little rabid dog._

 _Concert is called off because Yag is like dead lol._

 _Even Athena can't get mad at him for that... also - concerning Athena, im not gonna tie up her story in this fic. I think David is handling her I dunno._

 _Phew, I can see the end! (thank goodness lol...)_

* * *

Shen Woo threw his head back and sucked in the air, letting it linger over his tongue as it filled his lungs. The breeze tasted musty, filled with pollution, ash, and the smell of gunpowder. He shut his eyes as he sought the scent he was looking for. It was late, and the chill was seeping through his shirt and down into his lungs. The nighttime sky stared down at him with a million shining eyes. He knew this sky. It was _his_ sky.

"Sir…?"

Shen Woo snorted and jammed his hands into his jeans pockets before striding onwards. Iori Yagami's entourage trailed behind him at distance. Earlier this evening, they had come to him begging for his help. Apparently Iori had wandered off somewhere, then called them to pick up the American kid. When they arrived, they found half the block on fire and no sign of their employer. At the same time, the team at the hotel received an SOS signal and now they were all gathered in the outskirts of Shanghai's shady district.

 _Now… where are you… come on out baby…_

The scent was faint, but it was there. The smell of that writhing, violet power. The stench of a monster dressed in human skin. Shen Woo had fought him yesterday to great satisfaction - but he knew that Iori still had more to give. When they fought, neither of them had used their power… but one of these days, Shen Woo wanted to go all out. He wanted to battle that monster in full force, and had therefore imprinted it's scent into his brain.

… _There…_

He pinpointed it. Blood. Ash. Gore. Pain. The power was faint, ebbing away. Shen Woo snapped his eyes open and scrunched his nose. If Iori died tonight, there would be no rematch. Shen Woo had already beaten the man, now he wanted the monster within. That was the only reason he had agreed to come out tonight.

The streetlights shone dimly down on the cracked pavement as he strode into the darkness. There was always a peculiar stink in the air in this sector. The smell of wretched dereliction and trembling fear. Gangs ran amok here, harassing all who found themselves unfortunate enough to call this district home. In this place, poverty and violence lived side by side. Shen Woo knew this place well. It was his birthplace. These violent streets raised him for twenty-six long years, and even now he lived out its lessons.

… _Blood… more blood… it stinks…_

These were the slums, and there was an air of danger. The creeping, black scent of death. The Japanese bodyguards could sense it too. They had all become jittery and bunched together in their suits, they looked like a group of penguins. Behind them, two black armoured vehicles crawled slowly along. _Hehe, penguins with guns..._

Up ahead, sirens blared. Splitting the night with an ugly noise. The smell of smoke and petrol hung heavy in the air. The buildings three blocks down were glowing a dying orange. Nobody would miss them. Not the structures. Not their inhabitants. Shen Woo snorted and picked up the pace. Although the streets had raised him, he held no affection for them. They hadn't taught him how to 'love'.

In the murky darkness, and alleyway. The sound of footsteps, splashing, the low gasp of a dying breath. A death rattle. Shen Woo didn't know who was in his last throes, but he desperately hoped it wasn't Yagami. He broke into a run and skidded down the sidewalk, heels pounding on the pavement and sending impacts from the soles of his feet up into his hips.

 _Where are you… there!_

The alleyway. A dead man. The back of his neck had burst and he lay face down in a puddle of his own stagnant blood. There was a firearm clenched in his grip. Behind him, two more. These weren't dispatched quite so neatly. They had their skulls crushed as if by some monster force. They lay against the wall, smashed like fruits against the cold concrete. One was twitching and gasping for breath. Shen Woo checked to make sure it wasn't Yagami before continuing down the alleyway.

 _Someone… sure went nuts… who did this?_

Another three bodies. One scorched, the rest crushed. There were two people here… two deadly killers in this small space. Shen woo could smell the danger and hesitated. He felt the hectic, wild-eyed pressure a desperate predator gave off when pushed in a corner. That was the worst kind of opponent. One that had nothing to lose, and simply wanted to cause as much harm as possible before they expired… but, surely…

 _The flames are Yagami's… who's with him? The Scared-Shitless American? No way…_

Shen Woo turned to bark at the group of penguins. They were guarding the Alleyway entry and attempting to ID the dead and dying. A couple of men at the forefront looked up as he called to them.

"You! Flashlight?"

"Yes sir! Uh… here, sir."

A man scurried up to him holding out the flashlight. Obviously he could feel the pressure of a killer as well. He glanced back and forth beneath his spectacles and was as tense as a wire. Evidently, these Yakuza people had some good instincts… were they raised by the street as well?

"No - you hold it. Follow. And quiet."

The man hesitated, then nodded and pulled out his sidearm. He took pointe and aimed down sights with the flashlight and the muzzle together. Two more men broke off the initial group to accompany them with rifles. Shen Woo walked in the middle of them, tasting the air. Something was coming… something was hiding in the darkness, watching them… waitin-

"Aaahhhhh!"

An explosion. Shen Woo grabbed the pointman by the back of his suit and _threw_ him back - out of the way - otherwise he certainly would have been crushed like the rest of the unfortunate fruit. Bricks went flying as the strike crunched into the opposing wall. Beside him, both riflemen raised their firearms, and squeezed off a couple of shots before they realized who their attacker was. Shen Woo heard their confusion.

" _Isn't that the American?... The gym kid!... the guitarist… is he alright?... where's Yagami then?"_

The American seemed to recognize them as well. He had a look of unrestrained rage on his face, but in a moment, it became stuttering apologies. The _sweet_ smell of power was immediately covered by the stench (or, perhaps, facade) of cowardice. The boy looked terribly frazzled - covered in grime and blood - but also immensely relieved to see them. He was babbling something nobody could understand.

 _("Oh my god… oh god! I'm so glad you guys are here, holy shit! I'm so sorry, there were all these guys in the alleyways trying to hunt us down, and I thought you guys were too… I mean, It was dark, and you Chinese people all look the sa-... uh, I mean… anyways, Boss was helping, but now he's unconscious, I don't really know what to do… hey, come on! Can you guys help? He's too heavy and he got his guts scrambled by a rifle and I need to take him to a hospital and...")_

Shen woo flinched as the American kid grabbed him by the arm in an attempt to drag him deeper into the alleyway. When he didn't budge, the American gave him a questioning look. The men behind him were also awaiting his signal - as they didn't understand a word the American said either.

 _("Guys? What's wrong?... um… you guys don't understand me, huh? Ugh...Look!")_

The American let go and pointed down the alleyway. He had this exasperated and earnest look on his face that left no room for doubt concerning his intentions. He opened his mouth, and tried to say ' _Yagami'_ with the worst American accent Shen Woo had ever heard. Someone behind him actually snickered.

"Yahgamey!"

 _Damn, does Yagami care that people butcher his name? Hehe…_

That lightened the mood a bit. Shen Woo rolled his eyes, gave the American a thumbs up, and proceeded to follow.

* * *

 _(Boss? Hey, Boss! Wake up!)_

 _DUCK DUCK DUCKY!_

Iori was exhausted. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to breathe. He just wanted to slip into unconsciousness and _rest._ It would be so easy. The pain in his side had ebbed away into coldness. His fingers were so numb, he couldn't move them if he wanted to - not that he tried. He was too tired for that.

 _DUCK, TURTLE! TURTLE!_

… and he _would_ have already fallen into sweet unconsciousness if Riot hadn't been blabbering nonsense ever since his eyelids fell shut. Rock had been bugging him to stay awake for what felt like ages, and when he finally left to go punch somebody's lights out - Riot took over. Iori wasn't able to sleep last night, but now - he _finally_ had the opportunity to. Granted, he was literally sitting in a trash heap, but he didn't really care at this point.

 _What do these guys have against me getting a good night's sleep… shit!_

 _TURTLE TURTLE TURTLE!_

 _(Boss?! Boss! Please! You can't die!)_

 _(Yagami! Sir!?... come on, get him in the car… We've already notified KP… )_

 _KAKAKAKAKAKA! UP UP UP!_

He gritted his teeth at the noise. He felt his numb limbs moving and lifting - but hardly noticed. By god, the _noise._ Riot was bad enough, but now there were more voices yelling at him - all in different languages. Somebody shook him and he felt his brain rattling around his skull with a terrible - nausea inducing slosh. _Oh god… leave me alone…_

 _(Boss!)_

 _(Sir! You need to wake up! If you fall asleep like this… )_

 _BLACK TURTLE BLACK TURTLE BLACK_

Iori's mounting rage was slowly overpowering his fatigue, and soon enough, he was more concerned about punching _whoever_ was shaking him by the collar than sleeping. With no little effort, he filled his lungs, snapped his eyes open, and began raving… or, he tried to rave. His lungs weren't holding air, and pain stabbed him in the side. His protest came out as a rather pathetic, and painful sounding wheeze.

"Fuck!... _(ow, shit!)_ Leave me the fuck alone! I'm trying to sleep! All of you are fired! Bastar- _(coughing)..._ I'll kill you all- _(coughing)_ "

There were four people crowded into his field of vision, and - instead of falling quiet at his threats, they got even louder. He was laying flat across the backseat of a vehicle, and reached out to grab the closest neck he could. It belonged to Rock Howard - who's expression had gone from elated to concerned.

"Boss?! Oh god! Stop it! You're bleeding! Hey, _ack- ouch!_ "

"Sir! Please calm down! KP is sending a helicopter, we'll have you… _Sir! Let him go please!_ "

DUCKY DUCKY DUCKY DUCKY

 _(Etc… )_

* * *

 _Iori actually doesn't care what people call him. He doesn't correct them either. Sports team thinks his name is Lori - and the L was just accidentally written lowercase. They call him Lorraine or Lory. Kusanagi refers to him via profanity and insult, and he pretty much answers to all renditions of 'asshole'._

 _Black turtle = Riot's nickname for Shen woo. It's not a ToG ref. It's David's plot point thingy._

 _Although I do love myself some ToG_

 _Also - you're not supposed to go to sleep when you've gone into shock because you die. (from what I seen in movies at least)  
Rock was trying to keep bossman awake, adn when they got attacked, Riot was keeping up the good fight. what a darling little thing. :smiley_face_with_three_hearts:_

 _Even half dead, Iori is an asshole._

 _They're all going to KP together now! (yeeeee)_


	84. My Poor Boy

_We skipped the exciting helicopter ride. hope you don't mind_

 _lol._

 _So Memphi let me know that Geese actually was doing research on Orochi power - which I decided to employ here. I suppose that's why when Rock uses daddy's tecnhiques he gets some pain. Obviously it's nowhere as near as bad as Iori - but tbh I decided it's a pretty interesting little bit._

 _Chiz too busy for your shit._

* * *

*- _part of the left kidney, cut out a good portion of the descending colon and noticed some damage on the spleen. We had a new one, so we replaced it along with a kidney and ureter. We were lucky his stomach wasn't affected, otherwise things might have gotten messy._ _Currently, patient is stabilized, sedated and recovering._ *

"Good. What facility is he in?"

 _*Tokyo, ma'am. And not just him. A few Yakuza and this American kid tagged along. The Yakuza for security, and the American… well, by the time we arrived, he was feverish and vomiting. Chances are, he went splashing in Yagami's blood and got poisoned. We stuck an IV in him.*_

"Oh?"

Chizuru had been disturbed out of writing emails by a direct call from one of her medical centers. Normally, her secretary vetted her calls before they came to her - but she did have a direct line only a select few had the privilege to access. About two hours ago, the Yagami residence called her direct line requesting medical treatment for Iori. She had a spot open in Tokyo, and a helicopter after him.

 _What happened to him… Could I be that I was set up?_

Naturally, Chizuru took good care of her own. Not only was it good for her rapport with Yagami himself, but that man was quite literally a biohazard. He was host to ST-1, his blood was highly venomous, he had all sorts of severe 'symptoms' that under normal circumstances would indicate… death - but were completely normal for him…

If any normal doctor operated on him, they'd likely kill him, then die of poisoning afterwards. It seemed the Yagami heirs were both blessed and cursed with the burdens of the clan. The incredible power of the Magatama rested with, and flowed from the heir - and the stronger the heir was, the stronger the clan. The curse operated the same way. The heir absorbed the worst of it - and in addition to essentially becoming a poisonous animal which suffered from psychosis - they were almost always overwhelmed and killed by it before they hit thirty.

 _Haah… my poor boy… I can get four more years out of you, though…_

As far as Chizuru knew, the other members of the Yagami clan didn't suffer from such strange physiological deviations - otherwise they would have had their own medical science by now. Regardless, Akira and his team had scraped together enough information about Iori to conduct the necessary procedures, and were flown out to rearrange Iori's guts for half an hour.

… _he got shot … is he losing his touch? Maybe, regardless… best to make use of him before he expires..._

Akira broke her out of her thoughts. He sounded slightly concerned. She frowned.

 _*Ma'am, what should we do with the boy? Apparently he's Yagami's band member.*_

"What do you mean? Is he not recovering?"

A hesitation. Chizuru sighed and drummed her fingers on her desk, she hated when her employees pondered on _her_ time.

 _*Ma'am we're not entirely sure. He seems to have quite a violent reaction to the Orochi blood… as if he had been exposed to it before. He's quite sick, ma'am… he might need you to sea-*_

Chizuru made a noise, and Akira stopped. Surely _he_ knew that she was far too busy to run around conducting ancient Yata sealing rituals for every little kid who felt Orochi's influence. After another brief hesitation, he retracted his statement and amended it.

 _*He's quite sick, we will hook him up for dialysis… of course, we're no experts on the… uh, spiritual portion of the situation… but cleaning his blood should be enough.*_

"Thank you, Akira."

* * *

 _Short little chappy. Next one is Rock being disgusting and freaking out because he feels like he's dying, and also he almost killed his employer, and he also is responsible for getting eyes for Whip._

gg man.


	85. Voicemail

_Lol I almost forgot about Terry._

 _The last time they talked was... uh... Chapter 41, which was 2 days before Shanghai concert. At this time, we are the evening after the shanghai Concert... Talk about long days holy shit! That's literally 44 chapters over 3 days. 10 chapter long days. wreeeee. This story is a hell of a slow burn.._

(haha, I had to referance chapter 61 - my little summary thing to find that info. I'm so glad I did that lol.)

* * *

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrrr*_

 _*Rock Howard… is not available. Please leave a message after the beep.*_

 _*Beeep*_

"Rocky? It's Dad. I saw some crazy news in Shanghai and I just wanna know if you're doing okay. Call me back ASAP, alright? Talk to you soon bud."

*Click*

Terry sighed, tossed his cellphone onto the coffee table, and slumped heavily into his couch. He raised his hands and ran them up his face to push his long bangs back. Southtown was hot and musky today, and the Apartment's air conditioning wasn't doing a great job keeping the heat at bay. Even this early in the morning, Terry had found it necessary to strip down to his underpants and gulp cold soda to keep cool.

 _Rocky… you're okay, right?_

Earlier this morning, no less than ten minutes ago, Terry had switched to the International channel to follow the news on his son. In that matter, Terry was lucky. The concert was tremendous and many different channels were covering the event with gusto. Iori was sometimes pulled into interviews where he would point out a camera-shy Rock in the background (he always looked horrified to be on film). Athena's interviews sometimes had him sitting there as well. Seeing his son looking healthy and uninjured - if not troubled and annoyed - was of great comfort to Terry. It looked like Iori was being insufferable, but at least he hadn't brought any bodily harm to the boy.

 _CYS is gone too..._

Another report came out that Yashiro had dropped dead in the middle of a crowded restaurant. There were several stories, including Iori knocking him unconscious, Yashiro's body spontaneously combusting, etc... Terry wasn't going to attribute _murder_ to anyone, but he was pretty certain he knew what had happened.

 _I guess Shermie too… she didn't show up in the recent concert._

He wasn't mad about it though, for although Terry would never _wish_ for someone's death… or re-death, the fact the religious terrorists had been dealt with in the most permanent way possible meant Rock was just that much safer. Perhaps Iori's craziness was good sometimes. At least it got rid of Shermie and Yashiro.

So until this morning, Terry was quite comfortable with Rock's overseas band adventures. As far as he was concerned, there were no more dangers to be dealt with… at least, until he saw the broadcast about a Triad-Yakuza gang war, an exploding building, and Iori Yagami's apparent involvement. Where Iori was involved, it was possible Rock was involved. It might just be rumors and hearsay, but as a father - Terry wanted to be absolutely sure his son was unharmed.

 _Haah… maybe he's on the airplane right now? That's why he didn't pick up? I don't bug him that often… is he still mad at me?_

But with Rock now answering the phone, where could he get his assurance? Rock had always been a bit of a moody kid. Perhaps even passive-aggressive. Occasionally he was pushed to the point of 'aggressive-aggressive', where he did _stupid stuff_ like challenging Iori Yagami to a fistfight, and giving people fractures on the basketball court. It was during those times where Geese's pedigree could be seen in his son. That crackling, venomous power that felt so _evil_ and _out of place_ in such a gentle and mild mannered kid.

When Terry saw that bursting energy, he was reminded of Geese, and all of his experiments with Gaia's, and alternatively, Orochi's energy. Surely that mab hadn't managed to taint his blood to the point Rock also suffered effects from it…

 _No way… Rock doesn't lose his head like Leona and Iori… he's clean, he just has some pain from… from…_

Terry shook the thoughts from his head and refocused on the task at hand. Although Rock did occasionally lose his shit, normally he dealt with his conflicts in a grudging and circumspect way. Terry knew he had upset his son with their last conversation (about firing, and quitting, and CYS) - and as a result steered clear of direct contact for a couple of days, fearing he might anger Rock to the point the boy wouldn't confide in him. Nevertheless, in Terry's mind, this was an emergency worth breaking the silence for.

Terry plucked up his phone and called Rock again. He pondered as he listened to the phone buzz and go to voicemail. He also sent a couple of text messages for good measure. After waiting a long while for an answer, he took a deep breath and tried - and failed - to calm himself.

 _Rock's fine… but what if he got caught up in that gang fight?_

Gang members carried guns, right? And Guns… were terribly dangerous whether you were a fighter or not…

 _Terry, stop it… no use worrying… just wait for him to call back!_

Perhaps Rock had been caught in the explosion! There were many, many casualties reported from that incident. Nearly half the block had been burnt down, and many people had died that night. Upwards of twenty charred bodies were found - including those belonging to several building residents who were unable to escape the blaze in time. The police were currently attempting to ID the bodies by their dental records… but the people caught in the original explosion? There would be no trace of them left behind. Was it possible that…

 _No… no, no way… I need to call… somebody…_

Terry scrambled for his cell phone again, and blinked stinging sweat out of his eyes. At this point, he was unsure if he was perspiring from the heat, or the stress. He flipped open his phonebook and pondered who to contact such that he might get some information. After all, he was quite popular in KOF. Surely somebody was connected with Iori's-...

Terry paused and almost slapped himself. _Of course._

 _Goddamn, I'm an idiot. I'll call Iori! He had better not ignore me… he's got my kid…_

Iori was actually very good at picking up his phone. Each time Terry called him - even in the middle of the night - he had answered… and there was no way in hell _that_ man had died in an explosion. He waltzed through explosions like nothing. If _he_ didn't answer, then surely, something was seriously wrong… or they were on an airplane…

 _Okay… okay calm down..._

Terry jabbed the call button…

...and went directly to voicemail. Suddenly all of Terry's worst-case-scenario imaginings were more real than ever. Terry stared into space, frozen as he listened to Iori's recorded message. He shut his eyes and cursed.

 _*_ _あなたが何かを売ろうとしているなら、ファックオフ_ _. If you're trying to sell me something, fuck right off.*_

 _*Beep*_

"Yagami! It's Terry Bogard. Call me back right away, and get Rock on the line! 555-555-1111!"

*Click*

Terry tossed his phone back on the tabletop and chewed the inside of his cheek. He hunched over, bowed his head and stared at the phone. Waiting.

And Waiting.

And Waiting.

* * *

 _Yag's in surgery._

 _Wonder what Rock's up to :eyes:_

 _Also, wanted to throw a bit of Geese backstory... which I didn't even know until a reviewer told me so yeah._

 _Honestly, tell me if you think somebody should be in the story for XY reason. I don't always take suggestions, but I definately don't ignore them. I'm a sucker for good ideas lol_

 _K. I'm aiming to finish by chapter 100. I have my roadmap, but let's see if I can stick to it. If anything, I'll be going over in chaps, not under._

 _END GAME BOIS!_


	86. Ancestry

_Broocky!_

 _Goose dad cameo, not really..._

* * *

 _It hurt!_

Not from any particular place… it was all spread out, all throughout his body. It wasn't particularly sharp, no. Not like a kick to the ribs, or a taser jolt. The sort of pain you felt you could deal - _just barely-_ with until it stopped… but it didn't stop. I kept going, and going and going. Never dulling, yet he couldn't get used to it. He couldn't shut it out. This was a slow, slow burn… like a tea-candle lit beneath an exposed nerve.

All of his nerves.

 _Help! Please!_

He couldn't move. Not a single muscle. He was splayed out on a hospital bed. Tightly strapped down with nylon cords reminiscent of seat belts. There were two long tubes running out of his bicep, near his shoulder. From one, blood pumped out and into a machine. From the other, his blood pumped back in. There was a dull ache where the cords went in. Rock hardly noticed it next to the fire in his nerves.

 _God!_

He wanted to scream… but he couldn't. Those _damn_ doctors had injected something into him because he kept flailing and throwing out the tourniquets. All his muscles - save the essentials (obviously) - were completely relaxed. He couldn't do a single thing. He couldn't even open his eyes.

 _Somebody…_

Rock had no idea what had happened.

Just a few hours ago, he was running about crushing skulls. His blood was crackling with vigor, energy, electricity, poison. He had been drunk again. Drunk on his damn father's damn blood. He hated it. He hated it. He hated it… _but it felt damn good didn't it, you little shit?_

 _Shut up!_

That power wasn't his. That corrupt venomous insanity. It was a foreign object. An invader. A usurper. Something horrible and deep and primal. He had first felt it at the shipyard… the rumbling of the vicious, barbaric world. That world which he had dipped his feet in so he could survive. For a brief moment, he had fallen _low._ From the kingdom of man, to the kingdom of beasts. He needed to climb back to up. Back to civility. Back to normalcy… where there was justice and kindness and gentleness and goodness.

 _Might makes right! You know that!_

Up there. The lofty heights built by a millennia of human achievement. Humanity had crawled their way into a higher plane of existence. Away from the brutal bloodthirsty instincts of the past. Away from the ripping, tearing, crushing. Until a week ago, he'd been sitting up there. Where Terry, Mary, Adam… everyone else. They were all there, living beautiful and lovely lives. They had the luxury to look down on murderers. They hadn't stained their hands like he had.

 _Dad… what am I gonna say to you?... ohh…_

That bastard Geese Howard was a beast. A monster who scrounged his way amongst the devils and creatures. He lived by strength. That was his god. That was his righteousness. It was all he needed, and he worshipped it and it made him a wicked wretched creature who cared not for his own wife. For his own child… _Rock would never fall that low!_

Never!

 _Too late!?_

That was what he told himself after the shipyard. It was a one-up. Rock wasn't a killer. He had just exercised self defense. Everything was self defense. He'd told himself just that over and over and over and over… he couldn't make himself believe it. _Because it felt good... It felt right… It was so, so, so fun..._

He suppressed it. Work kept him busy, and busy helped him forget - if only temporarily. He wanted to brush this under the rug. Forget, forgive… nothing had happened. Nothing at all.

 _Then he did it again!_

Sitting in a pile of trash next to his dying employer, Rock Howard had been consumed by guilt… _then_ the moment he heard gunshots. The moment he heard yelling. The moment Iori raised his head and _burst the skull_ of a man thirty paces away. The moment the scent of violence filled his lungs… _his venomous blood went straight to his head._

And he stood, trembling in his strength. Shaking with excitement. Some deep, dark part of his brain turned on, and the earth rumbled beneath his feet. Like a breath that power filled him to the brim - to the point of bursting. Bursting, rejoicing in that terrible strength.

 _I'm the strongest!_

And his breath grew slow and ragged like an animal's. And his hands curled into fists like it was the most natural thing in the world. And his eyes went bright and focused. And he fixed those eyes on his targets...

And he killed.

And he killed.

And he killed.

 _I'm the strongest!_

It was like he had finally found his roots. It was like an epiphany. Hot, volatile, _exciting._ Time to fight! Time to rumble. Go all out! Go crazy! How dare these bastards turn their guns on you, don't they know who you are? You're the beast! You're the strongest! You're in your element! This world… _it's where you belong… by ancestry… you belong in the primal._

Geese's blood flowed through his veins… His pedigree would never leave him. He couldn't escape it until the day he died.

 _You can't fight it…_

He could never reach the heights of Terry Bogard. Dad lived in a different plane. A totally different dimension. The place where virtue was good, and vices were evil. Where justice triumphed over strength. Where rule of law upheld the peace… He was just a monster child… He didn't deserve any of his father's simple, pure hearted affection. He was a _pretender_. A _liar_. For 19 years he had rejected it with every ounce of his being… but now he knew the truth... His actions screamed that reality to him, and he could shut it out no longer.

 _I'm… my father's son…_

He felt a tear run down the side of his face. He choked out a sob. His body was burning with that terrible heat, yet he couldn't move. He had been hit by… a rebound? The venom in his blood had begun to poison him as well? Perhaps Iori did something? Rock had no idea. He didn't care. All he cared about was his pain and his despair. Because this _damn_ tour… was a wake up call to his true nature.

 _You can't escape it…_

 _...Who are yo-_

*Brrrrrr - jingle-*

His phone!

*Brrrrr - jingle -*

That was… Terry's custom ringtone!

*Brrrrr - jingle - *

Rock forced his eyes open. It felt like he was lifting boulders on his eyelids, but he was desperate. He couldn't move his head, so he glared to the side so hard, his eye socket ached. His phone was sitting on the table next to him. The screen was lit up, and it buzzed cruelly within reach of his paralyzed arms.

*Brrrrr - jingle-*

He strained. He strained harder that he ever had in his life. His whole body trembled in the effort. Some muscles he managed to seized hold of, and he pushed them until they screamed at him. The torniquete returning blood into his bicep came loose with a pop, and began spilling into the white tile beneath. Rock didn't notice. Rock didn't care. He needed him.

 _Dad!_

Terry Bogard. The man who had first taken him out of the monstrous world. The man who overcame Geese's evil might with virtue. The man who adopted the heir of his enemy, and raised him with a gentle and compassionate hand. Terry had taught him every good thing he had ever know. Terry Bogard could carry him through. He had done it before, he could do it again _. He can save me! Dad!_

Yet… Rock's body disobeyed. His arms remained cruelly languid. The phone rang one final time.

Then it stopped.

Rock trembled.

And he sobbed.

And amidst the nerve searing pain, he felt himself grow cold.

 _Cold..._

* * *

dfdsfsd

 _Geese has got a bit of Orochi in him._

 _Poor brocky. :(_

 _Chiz halp!_


	87. OT87

_lol. Chiz kinda stressed. At the end of each fiscal quarter, The company gives an earnings report. Given that stockholders are technically the owners of the company, it's a really big deal.( IE. They collectively own all the stock in the company, and therefore the company itself ). Generally earnings call, can cause the stock price to fluctuate wildly. Chizuru is right to be stressed out about it._

* * *

* _Who was watching him! Akira!*_

"I'm sorry Madame, we were following normal hospital procedure. By the time the nurse got to him he-"

 _*Enough! Aaagh!*_

Doctor Akira held the phone away from his ear as his employer raged. Although she was typically very cool and controlled, when she lost her temper… Well, she _really_ lost it. All about him, his nurses and doctors looked at each other guiltily. Clearly they had never seen CEO Chizuru Kagura angry before, but Akira was quite used to it. It was explosive, but it only lasted a moment.

 _*... Okay… okay… Akira, his current status? What's his current status…*_

"Not good, Madam Kagura. He lost a lot of blood after he shook out his tourniquet. We had connected the dialysis to his auxiliary artery and vein, so blood flow was significant. Of course we hooked him back up as soon as we got autopaged for blood pressure drop, but by then he's lost close to a litre..."

 _*A litre… are you transfusing? Ah, you're the doctors. Do what you need to do. Fix him! If he dies on my watch, Yagami will lose his mind.*_

Akira grimaced and hesitated. His patient's main issue wasn't blood loss - although suddenly losing a litre of blood _did_ significantly degrade his condition. The underlying issue was something different. Something on the spiritual level. Before Doctor Sen Akira had met his employer, he had completely dismissed the idea that there was anything outside of the physical world. However, seeing was believing. Chizuru Kagura demonstrated the supernatural very clearly, and in very tangible ways.

 _I can't do anything for this kid..._

Unfortunately, even if Akira believed in it - he was trained as a doctor for the _physical_ body. He had neither the tools nor the knowledge to treat a patient suffering from a malicious attack on their mind. Only Madame Kagura could do this sort of… witch-doctory stuff.

Dr. Akira had seen her at work. Once, Iori Yagami's split personality had been acting up, so she chained him to a bedframe, drew complex chalk circles about him, and chanted and threw salt at him until the snarling stopped and the wild-eyed beast was quelled.

 _Definitely strange…_

… And whatever the American kid was suffering was akin to… _whatever_ Yagami had exhibited then. Albiet, the boy wasn't trying to kill anyone - and the pain didn't seem quite so bad, but the symptoms of the Orochi blood were unmistakable.

Pain that could not be alleviated with drugs. An intense fever. Chills. Trembling. _Psychosis? Is he talking to himself yet?_

Dr. Akira sighed. Originally, when the American came into the medical center with a fever, chills and vomiting - Dr Akira was convinced he was just suffering typical poisoning from exposure to Yagami's alien blood. However, soon enough it became clear that the problem was much more serious.

 _Why the hell does this kid have Orochi in his blood?_

And the only known method for putting this 'disease' into remission, was the CEO of KP Conglomerate to draw chalk circles and chant for 2 hours. Considering the fact Madame Kagura was currently prepping $KP's second quarter stockholder meeting for later on today - that was absolutely not happening.

Still…

As a doctor looking out for the best interest of his patient, he would make his request - even if it earned his employer's ire. The boy needed his blood sealed away, and fast - otherwise he might just lose himself and go mad. He didn't have much longer.

Madame Kagura huffed into the phone. She sounded exasperated. The investor meeting must really be stressful for her. Apparently a bunch of bigwigs were coming to see it live - and Chizuru was intent on making a good impression. Even the great CEO of Kagura Pharmacuticals needed to kiss ass sometimes...

 _*Okay...Well, Akira I'll leave him in your hands. I'm really busy so give me a status update tomorrow. Ah, be a dear and knock Yagami out for another few hours. I don't want to hear him yelling in the background while I'm presenting to my major stockholders. Knock the kid out for good measure as well-*_

"Madame, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but the boy desperately needs your attention. He won't hold much longer, and if we put him to sleep,chances are he won't wake up again. Please reconsider."

The phone line went quiet. Dr. Akira felt a beat of sweat trail down the back of his neck. His medical team had crept closer in an attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation. He sighed.

Chizuru's voice was chilly. It held an air of finality.

 _*I understand, unfortunately I'm unavailable for the remainder of the day. Please don't call me again concerning these two until tomorrow morning. Do what you can.*_

"...Understood."

 _*Thank you, Akira."_

* * *

 _So Cheng knows that the KP earning calls today. It's pretty sly of him to attack right before this. More details later lol._

 _Also a quick note on the time frame - rock and yag flew in last night at like midnight. They spent a couple of hours in surgery, and now they're recovering. Unfortunately Rock didn't get to sleep - he was up all night thrashing until they injected him with something to make him sit still. Currently it is 7:00 a.m. the next day, and Chiz is preparing for a 9:00 a.m. meeting. Rock has been laying there for 5 hours already, Chiz says to hold on for another 24._

 _Okay lol I really didn't like this chapter, because I just need to get through it. But only 13 more before I hit the end!_

 _Hopefully The ending meets your expectations..._

 _Lol the stress..._


	88. Tender

_Yag Wakes up._

 _Wonders what the hell is happening._

 _That's the entirely of this chp lol._

* * *

 _(rumble)_

 _Ugghh…_

With a low groan, Iori cracked open groggy eyes to stare at the dim ceiling.

Everything was mucky and slow and fuzzy, and he was comfortable enough not to rush anything. Last night, he had held onto consciousness long enough to realize he was being strapped to a gurney and loaded into an ambulance… _or helicopter, whatever_. He had also been surrounded by Yakuza members, and there was no way they'd send him to some chop shop. Although he didn't really know where he was right now - he felt safe enough not to rush discovery.

 _Oh god… I got surgery didn't I… what happened…?_

What happened… he'd… been shot through the side, got his obliques destroyed, shattered his floating rib, and probably lost some organs underneath. At least it felt that way. It hurt like an absolute bitch. Times like those made him jealous of Riot's pain immunity.

 _(rumble...)_

Speaking of Riot…

 _Hey! If you've got something to say - you need to use words._

 _(rumble… grrr… )_

…

Iori rolled his eyes. Even though he shared thoughts with his demonic alter ego for… nearly five years, now, he still occasionally had trouble communicating. Usually Riot didn't have anything important (or intelligible) to say anyways, so Iori decided there were more important things to concentrate on, and ignored him.

 _Okay… hu-up!_

Iori propped himself up on his elbows and winced as his side complained. He reached over and lifted his shirt to take a peek. There was just a long, discreetly stitched scar running in a slit from his ribs to his hipbone. Honestly, he didn't know what he expected. Somebody had definitely gone messing around in his guts. He'd probably need to be gentle for a week or so.

He turned his attention to his surroundings.

He was… in a hospital. The room was dim, because the curtains over the window had been drawn tightly closed that he might sleep in peace. There were sticky electrode pads stuck to several places in his chest and wrists with wires running to the wall-mounted monitoring equipment. There was an EKG chart recording his heartbeat, and a myriad of other values Iori didn't understand. The machinery was KP branded… but then again, almost everything in hospitals were KP branded nowadays.

Still, Iori hoped he was in a KP facility. When Rock Howard broke his arm two months ago, Iori decided not to bother Chizuru, and got treated in SouthTown hospital's emergency room. He got his arm sliced open, some screws put in, and was wrapped in a cast. The whole experience wasn't particularly uncomfortable for him, but he did manage to get his surgeon sick for a couple of weeks. He only knew of it because the hospital had called him afterwards, panicked, and asked if he had any undisclosed pre-existing conditions. He had referred them to Kagura.

… _hope that this time some random dude didn't try to operate on me… Dr. Akira complained to me about my blood once. Like what the hell am I supposed to do? Apologize?_

Iori rolled his eyes and attempted to swing his feet to the floor. He realized his legs were velcroed in, and grimaced as he was forced to scoot up and lean over to gingerly undo the bonds around his ankles. The table at the foot of his bed had a clock and his cellphone. He had four missed calls from… Terry Bogard? _What?_

Iori frowned and snatched up his phone. Why would Terry be calling him? Was he unable to contact Rock? Where the hell was Rock?... where the hell was _he_? He needed to find his bearings before he called Terry back and got grilled for answers.

 _Ugh, damn clingly parents…_

Iori dialed the Head Bodyguard as he swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood. He yanked off all the monitoring equipment and watched as his EKG flatlined and all the numbers went to zero. A nurse would probably rush in shortly to make sure he hadn't died. He could ask her what was going on once he got off the phone with his bodyguard. The floor was as cold against his bare feet as he walked to the window, peeked out, and got blinded by the morning sun.

 _*Brrr- Click.*_

 _*Yagami, sir?*_

"Hey. I just woke up. Where did you put me?"

 _*Yes, Sir. We called on Madame Kagura to treat you last night. We are in her Tokyo Headquarters.*_

"We?"

" _I am actually outside the ward, and will come deliver your things.*_

"Okay, right. Where's my kid?"

 _*... Sir, the American?*_

"Yeah."

 _*He fell ill and is being treated in the same facility - although we are unsure exactly what room he is in. When we met him, he was covered in… ah, fluids. Some of them were… possibly yours?*_

"Yeah, okay. He barely touched me, so chances are he'll have a mild fever or something. Cool. Find out where he is and grab him. I wanna get out of here… Call my barbeque spot and reserve a table. I'm starving, and I'm also treating."

 _*Yes, Sir… ah, thank you sir. I'm on it.*_

*Click*

Iori threw the curtains open and stared out across the familiar city. The Yagami family estate was a good deal outside the city, but most of their _business_ was conducted within. The sprawling suburbs offered a luxury and privacy the urban center could ill afford… well, unless you were Chizuru Kagura. The Kagura estate was well within city limits, and when she felt there were too many people wandering outside her gates and peeking over the walls, she (famously) bought _all_ of the surrounding properties, razed them to the ground, and sectioned herself off with cinderblock and electric wire, beautifully encased in a hand-manicured thirty foot hedge. Iori also knew the voltage running through that fence was incredibly high. It had been quite a painful experience. He had since learned to use the front gate.

 _She's probably busy… Maybe I'll just text her…_

Iori yawned and quickly composed a message. He was about to press ' _send'_ when a red-faced nurse burst into the room with a wild look in her eye. Two more medical personnel followed. They were rolling a defibrillator on a cart. All of them were dressed head to toe in hazmat. Iori waved at them.

"My American kid. Where is he."

The nurse was panting and catching her breath. She pulled off her headpiece and motioned the crash cart away. Iori gently lowered himself into the chair in the corner and sent his text. He also messaged Rock for good measure. The boy had enough common sense to remain in the facility, as he didn't speak enough Japanese to wander around the city unaccompanied. He waited for the Nurse to draw enough breath to talk to him. She looked pretty uncomfortable in her hazmat.

"Yagami sir, Rock Howard isn't availab-..." Iori turned on his glare. The nurse flinched and quickly amended her statement. "He's already left the country. That's what the doctor told me… there is no need to… to... to look for him."

"What? Are you serious?"

Rock Howard decided to cut and run? No fucking way. That idiot brat had decided to _follow_ him into a deathtrap, nearly get blown to bits, then nearly got shot to bits. Honestly, maybe he wanted to cut and run _after_ experiencing that Triad nonsense, but then, he wasn't the kind of person to quit without telling anyone. He was too polite for that.

 _No fucking way…_

"Hey, wait! What the hell do you-"

"Sorry sir. Ah- I'm getting paged. Please stay here! Thank you!"

His attempt to press the nurse for further details was ultimately unsuccessful. All she gave him was a quick nod, before she escaped the room. Evidently she was embarrassed by her statement, and was doing everything in her power to avoid further questions. Iori was feeling a little too tender to go chasing her down the hall, so he contented himself with calling his maybe-ex-employee. Surely… _if_ Rock decided to fly home with no warning, he had definitely prepared a speech, or left a message first.

 _*Brrrr*_

Iori pondered to himself as the phone rang. He continued to ponder when the call went to voicemail and he pocketed the phone in his hospital smock.

 _Honestly… maybe it's better that he quits…_

Iori wasn't going to fire Rock again - especially since he had already set the conditions for Rock to stay in his band, _and_ fired and un-fired him once already. It would be a bad look to fire him again - and although Iori Yagami didn't really care for looks, he wasn't going to pull this on his new employee.

 _Poor kid…_

Rock had suffered quite badly during this tour. He had killed a couple of people, He'd seen lots of people get killed (Iori himself was a culprit concerning this, but honestly he had only acted in self-defense during this entire tour - aside for the Ivory Coast, of course). He had nearly died a couple of times too - a few times in some warehouse, once with Yashiro, and once by explosion. Iori was truly glad he had noticed Rock in the Triad's sad excuse for a trap before he blew the place to hell. They had set up some horrible fake restaurant and filled it with gas in an attempt to prevent him from using flames.

 _Some bastards must have set Kagura up._

Of course, gas didn't mean diddly squat to Iori Yagami. He could eat flames, explosions, anything fiery, really, without so much as blinking. The problem was… he was pretty certain Rock couldn't. Iori could cast his flames around an individual to defend them against certain threats - namely bullets - but he really had no idea if they would work in a room full of gas. He wasn't about to risk Rock's life on a mere hunch. If he hadn't seen Rock when he did - he would have incinerated the boy with the rest of the property.

 _Phew… dammit… I almost fucking killed him…_

All things considered… it really was quite a pickle. Rock Howard had already seen a great deal of terrible things over the last two weeks, but then again, Iori was paying him bucketloads and was eventually intended to turn over the band ownership to him. There were tremendous advantages - and _apparently_ a tremendous price as well. This wasn't a decision Iori had any right to make. Rock would have to make the call himself. Whether he stayed or went would have to be his choice, and his choice alone.

 _Well… if he really did leave, then so be it… the nurse looked pretty suspicious though…_

Iori sighed and winced as he stood to his feet. He would figure out if Rock was still in the building - and if he was - he'd present the choice, and any information Rock needed to make it. Otherwise, he would consider Rock Howard to have quit, and he'd go looking for a candidate to fill his spot.

Pity. Riot liked him.

 _(Rumble… Ducky...)_

Oh. Riot. _What? Whaddya want?_

 _(Earth… to… Ducky… go!)_

 _...Earth?... Hey man, can you use language please?_

 _(SNAKE EARTH!)_

Iori frowned and planted his fists on his hips. Riot's vocabulary was slowly expanding, but frankly he still spoke like a four-year-old. Iori waited for clarification.

 _(EARTH EARTH EARTH! GOD!)_

Oooh… 'Earth'. The god of the Earth. Riot's codename for Orochi. ... wait, _Orochi?_ What was Orochi doing here? Did Leona sneak into the building? Or perhaps Vice or Mature? Maybe Chris? _Weird… I can usually sense the Orochi blood…_

 _(Go!... Ducky! Go Go!)_

 _Duck? Wait, Riot… you know where Rock is? What does this have to do with Orochi! Hey!_

 _(Go! GO! GO!)_

Iori grimaced as his left leg forcibly struck forward, and he nearly toppled. Riot really wanted him to get up and go find Rock… (Or Orochi)... and frankly, although Iori didn't really like to be forced to do anything, he was about to do it anyways. He reckoned he'd follow Riot's nose. Riot was a dumbass, but he sometimes noticed things that Iori didn't.

(AAAAAAAHHHH! GOGOGOGOGO!)

"Alright! Shit man!"

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!)

"I'm going! Dammit!"

* * *

 _Iori getting pushed around lmao._

 _So Hospital personall telling Yag Rock is gone. b/c they dont want him to bother Chiz today._

 _kkkk_


	89. Yew'll Bring Honor to us all!

_alrighty almost to the end. 11 more to go_

 _Whop._

 **EDITED 5/16:** _Additional section._

* * *

"... failed? Even after everything I set up for you, you still let the Yagami heir escape alive..."

The dark room was silent. The only light was eerie and deep red. It emitted from the shrine at the head of the long, long table. That blood-red light shone like a terrible halo around the man. He wasn't of great stature, but his presence was powerful and full of wrath. He didn't speak loudly, but his voice trembled in a way that betrayed his anger.

"Mr. Yew… truly you've let me down… "

Mr. Yew shrunk into his chair. Even in the dim light, it was clear he was sweating very profusely. All of the eyes in the room were fixed on him. He felt their disgusted gazes peering from the invisible darkness.

"I've pulled my police contacts for you… kept the boy out of prison after Kam's failed attempt… do you know why?"

Beads of sweat were rolling off the bespectacled man's face, and were plopping on the smooth black granite table. He knew his life was in danger. During their last meeting, Yew had been so bold and secure, he even felt the confidence to disagree with Mr. Cheung himself. However, now… now he had _just barely_ failed at the simplest of tasks.

Mr. Cheung's voice was quiet as it floated across the room.

"We did it, because - although the boy had proven himself a threat - he's a tremendous liability to the Yagami heir. I turned a blind eye to Kam's death, to give you _the slightest_ advantage in this mission. Do you understand?"

Yew chomped on the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. The smell of incense from the red-lit shrine mixed with the smell of fear and disgust. His voice was meek.

" _Yes, Sir."_

"If the plot hadn't worked, if Yagami came out unscathed like those redhead bastards always do… well, then I might be more forgiving… but you _almost killed him. You Bastard. You just had to shoot him in the skull._ "

Yew grimaced and stared deeply into the table. The polished granite reflected his face, and Yew didn't like what he saw there. He looked - and felt - like a terrified child.

"Not only that! I called up _Chizuru Fucking Kagura_ to set this thing up for you. That woman… I've got her in the palm of my hand, but she's a slippery little bitch. She's waiting for the moment to turn on me and tear my throat out… I exposed myself to danger for you, Yew… _Do. You. Understand?!_ "

Mr. Cheung stopped talking, and silence once again fell over the room. Yew trembled violently as he looked up - the faint pattern of smoke distorted the shadow that Cheung's figure cast across the long table. He gulped and waited for his sentencing.

"… I have clearly overestimated you. Now, I will give you another assignment. However, the reward for victory is this. Instead of fame, glory and status, you will only earn the right to your life. You and your family's."

Yew trembled and nodded enthusiastically. This was far more than he had bargained for. Whatever Cheung wanted, he would do with the utmost fervor. If not for himself, at least for his wife, and three year old daughter.

"The American Boy. Kill him. We missed our chance at Yagami - and his family is far too sly to give us another opportunity. The boy is no longer of any use. Dispose of him. Make a scene. Make it messy… if you can escape the authorities afterwards - then you're free to go wherever you wish. Only preserve the dignity of the Triads. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes sir!"

A murmur ran across the table. It was a murmur of agreement. The Triad's honor was at stake here. Yew was being kicked out. Normally, that meant he and his closest relatives were discreetly murdered, ground to dust, and flushed down a drain. But with this - he could publicly murder - strike the fear of the Triads into the people - then become a fugitive who would scurry into the depths of some godforsaken slum. At that point, the Triad could dispose of him at their leisure, if they felt so inclined.

"Allow me to emphasize. Should you fail..."

Cheung's voice went even lower. All the murmuring stopped that the Triad members might hear him. Yew trembled in his seat. He knew as well as anyone what this assignment meant for him. Yet, it was an offer he couldn't refuse. Yew felt cold resolve harden in his heart. His wife and his daughter. He'd do it for them.

 _Mei mei, Ahn Kee… don't worry. Daddy will take care of you..._

"Should you fail… the consequences will prove… most arduous."

Silence reigned.

"Dismissed."

* * *

 _*Brrrrr*_

 _*Brrrrr*_

 _*Click*_

 _*This is Kagura*_

"Chizuru! My young friend. How are you this fine morning!"

Cheng Shizan propped his feet up atop his desk and grinned through his spectacles as he gazed out his office window over the Hong Kong cityscape. Although his demeanor seemed jovial and naive, this man was a tremendously experienced schemer. He knew as well as anyone that Chizuru Kagura had an incredible capacity for violence at her disposal. She had the Yakuza heir on a leash, and at any moment could externally spark an all out war between the Triads and their northern neighbors.

 _*Mister Cheng, it's good to hear your voice. I was about to give you a call. KP has its quarterly investor meeting today, and it would mean the world if you'd show your support.*_

Luckily, Cheng Shinzan had _Chizuru Kagura_ on a leash. Well, something of a leash. Yesterday morning - in addition to having extended KP's line of credit by another quarter billion (he sat on the board of HK National Banking Union) - he had also called on some of his American banker friends. These American banker friends had Wall Street friends, who had government friends, who had FDA friends. Chizuru Kagura's liver medication was approved for sale in the United States within 12 hours. She was deeply indebted to him, and - as of now, Cheng Shinzan had nothing to show for it. It really was a pity that Yew didn't manage to kill the Yagami brat.

 _Pathetic waste of space…_

It was very likely that Chizuru Kagura knew what had happened to Iori Yagami. In fact, chances were high that he was being treated in one of her medical facilities at this very moment. Even so, despite the fact that Cheng Shinzan was a prime suspect for conspiring against Kagura with the Triads (she didn't know he was their leader, of course), she didn't dare even bring the topic up. Her company had always been highly leveraged, and if Cheng called her loan at a bad time, then she might as well liquidate and retire. For the next eight months, he was KP's lifeline, and Chizuru Kagura would do whatever he said… within reason, of course.

 _Now… to handle the Yagami situation._

Mr. Cheng cleared his throat and threw a bit more joviality into his voice. Although Chizuru Kagura had the Yagami heir wrapped around her pinky, she had little influence over the Yakuza itself. Those old dogs knew better than to actually let the 25 year old nutjob have any sort of authority. He was merely a container for some (ridiculously troublesome) power and nothing more. The Yakuza was sure to come after the Triads after this assasination, and right now they couldn't handle that. Yew was the scapegoat, and Chizuru Kagura was going to make sure the Yakuza chased him.

"My dear, I certainly will… but first, I haven't heard back from my representative yesterday. I assume that meant he failed to meet with your protection detail. Would you know anything about that?"

A long moment of hesitation. Kagura replied in a low and serious voice. Although she tried to mask it, the note of hateful suspicion rang clear in her voice.

 _*... Mr. Cheng. I'm afraid I don't know. Yagami hasn't told me anything. If you are worried, perhaps the police station would be your best bet.*_

"Hmmm… Perhaps. In fact, I'd bet you another quarter billion that it's that bastard Yew Lin Kee. Several years ago, I cut him out of a deal - and now I can hardly step foot in Shanghai because of him. He's gathered a small group of arsonist cronies and they go about terrorizing the area and running rouge on the Triads. It really is a sticky situation for me."

Chizuru's voice still held a note of suspicion, but it was lessened significantly. She clearly wanted to believe his story, because for her - becoming enemies with Cheng Shinzan was absolutely not an option.

 _*I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Cheng. I suppose this… Yew Lin Kee - was it? (writing) thought you were coming to the city yourself. It is a good thing you sent a representative instead.*_

"I suppose so, Ms. Kagura. But my representative was also a close friend of mine. If I… muddied myself with this gang business, then surely I wouldn't need to deal with this kind of nonsense, but alas. I would have taken it to the authorities, but that Yew bastard controls the police too… haah..."

He made a disappointed sigh. He could hear Chizuru Kagura doing the necessary mental gymnastics to clear him from suspicion. When she finished, her voice was cheery and full of relief.

 _*That truly is a pity Mr. Cheng. Allow me to pass on the name of this man to my bodyguard's… parents. He was hurt quite badly in the attack, and his family may want to… press charges if you will.*_

"Of course Ms. Kagura. Do as you please. As Businesspeople, we can't muddy our hands with this sort of ignoble gang business. All we can do is shoot straight and true."

He said the words as pure-heartedly as he could. Chizuru swallowed her snicker and replied in kind.

 _*Straight and true indeed. Mr. Cheng… ah, could I bother you for a bit more information on this Yew character? You mentioned you've done business with him before… surely you have his address, his family relations, his… (etc)*_

* * *

 _Back to our regularly scheduled chaos next chap._

 _Brocky is really the main char._

 _He was just doing his 9-5 job, and got pulled into the midst of a gang war._

 _poor brat doesn't even speak the local language lmao._

 _I bet he wished he stayed in his calculus class that fateful day smh_


	90. The Whirlwind

_Wellp 90% done._

 _okay, it's planned for 100 chapters and #101 is just epilogue._

 _that's just a plan btw. if it goes 101+ don't at me_

 _Brokcy Riot._

 _I ain't explaining shit. u gotta wait until Chiz does the explaining._

* * *

A Whirlwind. A Horrible whirlwind

Rock wasn't sure how, or what, or why, but he knew without a doubt he was in the powerful, chaotic grasp of a tremendous windstorm whilst he lay in his bed in that silent hospital room.

 _What's happening… pleaase… stop…_

He was going crazy. His mind was scrambled. He hardly knew if his thoughts were his anymore. Hallucination was merging with reality. He heard his thoughts audibly. He smelled the rancid sensation of pain. He saw the bursting colours of cold, trembling sweat. No sense was left unabused. The tears running down his cheeks scorched like streams of searing lava. Surely this was punishment.

 _Please… please…_

Every nerve in his body was scoured with white hot lashings. Every one of his rigid muscles screamed at him as they tensed to the point where Rock was certain they would tear. There was a tremendous rushing in his ears, noise that somehow coexisted with the equally profound silence in the room. Rock stared with wide-eyes at the dim ceiling and clenched his teeth until his gums hurt and the taste of metal ran down the back of his throat.

 _Augghhh…_

Over the past five minutes, this mysterious torture had suddenly gotten worse. Rock had no idea what was causing this horrible condition, but for the past… how many hours? had no choice but to endure it. Something was eating at his mind. It wanted him… it wanted to kill him. That _creature? No… being?_ muttered and peeped and leered at him from within the depths of his psyche. It terrified him. That haughty, longing gaze which looked at him like a man looked at a piece of steak.

 _Please leave me alone… Please…_

Was this his blood? Was this the ' _strong man'?_ The ' _Other guy'_? That evil, venomous personality who scoffed and sneered and twisted his features into something vile. That man who was filled with violent crackling power which could so easily rampage through and snuff out the lives of men without a hint of hesitation? Men who were no different than Rock himself. Men with lives, and families, and friends…? Was this the manifestation of Geese's blood. Was this that bastard's wicked power? The power which at one time Rock had shamefully rejoiced in?

 _Idiot! Idiot Idiot! Nonononono- Please! Give me a second chance… I'm not-_

 _("Who the fuck do you think I am? I told you I'm looking for the American Kid. He in here? Move!")_

The whirlwind got louder and stronger. It drowned out the rest of Rock's thoughts. Even the fruition of his mind was whipped away into the abyss the moment the thought formed. He couldn't think. He couldn't hear. He couldn't see. He couldn't move. He was flying through the air at dizzying speed, yet he was perfectly still - paralyzed - and strapped in his bed. He heard the low humming of the monitoring machinery and a familiar voice somewhere in the distance… yet somehow it was drowned out by the rushing in his ears. He was… _he was… who was he?_

 _(No! I said-… What? Yeah. Guardian… It doesn't matter. Let me through. *bang-thud*)_

It was getting worse.

Exponentially worse.

As if the whirlwind was becoming desperate. It had merely been toying with him before. Torturing him for fun, but now - it was trying to kill him as quickly as it could. He felt his brain catch fire and he felt paralyzed muscles seize. His jaw locked open to scream - but he was unsure if any sound came out. His eyes whirled about their sockets, flashing back and forth so quickly he became dizzy - yet he could do nothing to stop it. His eyelids were pasted open and he couldn't choose to stop seeing. As his body betrayed him, all he could do was sob from the rapidly shrinking corner of his own mind of which he still retained control over. He begged into the cruel abyss.

 _Please… please stop… stop it…_

 _( Alright -sure- I'm his... Brother. Go ahead and write that down. Now move before I fucking deep-fry you. *Thud* Howaaard?!)_

He caught a flash of red as his eyeballs rolled across his field of vision. As footsteps approached, the whirlwind became ever more violent. He felt his limbs begin to thrash, and his neck began to creak - as if it were trying to wring his head free of his body. His jaw was locked open, and something began foaming from the back of his throat. Suddenly, his eyes focused and he saw the man. He recognized the colour of his hair, and he also recognized his voice, but that was it. His brain was no longer his own. He was barely able to identify himself, much less anyone else.

 _(... Howard? What th-... holy shit!)_

Two hands seized his head, and suddenly his entire field of vision was 'Angry Iori Yagami'. The whirlwind provided the name, and the man's presence seemed to drive it into an even more intense frenzy. The noise in Rock's head was loud, but Iori Yagami was louder. There was a wild, beastial rage etched on his expression and he spoke a language Rock didn't understand. He shrieked in Rock's face, but it was clear he wasn't talking to Rock at all.

 _(Orochi, you fucking snake! You piece of shit! What the hell are you doing in there! How the fuck are you even there! Get out! Out!)_

Iori's teeth were chattering. Rock didn't realize he had grabbed hold of his employer's wrists until there was bright red blood leaking over his fingernails. He was suddenly aware of how terrible he must look. There was something foamy boiling out of his open mouth. His jaw was locked uncomfortably. He felt all his limbs thrashing about, and he heard himself begin to scream. The pain spiked, and Rock was nearly washed away by it. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he was suddenly reminded that he was not allowed to cry in front of Iori. He just felt _so_ awful.

 _(Oh Shit, Shit! Dammit! What the fuck are you trying to do!)_

Nothing had gone right. Nothing was even remotely okay. Whose fault was this, really? Was it Iori's? Maybe Yashiro's? Whip's maybe? No… Iori had given him nothing but good things. This tour was literally the dream job. There was nothing more Rock could reasonably ask for from an employer. Iori had no intention to hurt him - and had actually nearly died to rescue Rock last night. This wasn't his fault.

 _(Riot! What the fuck is happening? What's wrong with him?)_

It wasn't CYS's fault either. Rock's misfortune didn't end when Shermie and Yashrio were killed. Whip had already been gone for a couple of days, and surely she wasn't the source of his woe. Athena and Kensou had left before the most recent incident… Rock was the center. This was all about him. This wasn't anyone else's fault. It was his own.

 _Why… why…_

And here he was. Freaking out. Sobbing and screaming and foaming at the mouth. So incompetant the he couldn't even look his employer and benefactor in the eyes. His only form of interaction with Iori today had been spilling his blood. His bad luck and sudden delve into gang politics had ruined a tremendous business undertaking for the #2 and #3 musicians in the world. He made them look like fools in front of their fanbases - Iori especially. He had become a murderer. Nearly everyone in this band had saved his life at least once - and both Whip and Iori had paid dearly to do so. _You're a fucking worthless liability ducky boy! Just give up and die!_

 _(Fuck. Fuck! Howard, hang in there!)_

Iori looked panicked. He tore his hands from Rock's grasp, and pulled out his cellphone and mashed it against his ear. He stared down at Rock like he was looking at an alien. There were several shallow gouges in his wrists, and Rock watched as the wounds bled red trails across pale skin. Iori didn't seem to notice his injuries. He shouted into the phone, then alternatively at a couple of hospital personnel who came rushing into the room.

 _Again! Here you are, you worthless bitch... getting your ass saved again. You get offered the best opportunity anyone could ever get, and you manage to fuck it up this badly! How the hell did you do it Duckling? You're not your father… at least -he- was competent!_

Rock was unsure whose words those were, but he believed them. How could things have gone so badly? How was it possible? What kind of employee hospitalized his boss once a month? It was like a sick joke… What did Iori think about it? He probably-

 _He hates you! You ruined everything._

He… he probably did. He certainly didn't expect a mess like this.

 _Whip too - she's blind because of you! She despises you!_

… and… and her too. He promised he would get her sight back… but now… now…

 _Athena and Kensou too. This was important to them!_

True… Athena told him that he was not allowed to mess up… look at the mess! It was a mess of such magnitude that it was almost comical. What did she… didn't Iori say she yelled at _him_ instead? Wha-

 _Pathetic! Just die!_

Die?… maybe. He was getting tired of this fight. It'd been a long, long night. The pain wasn't numbing. It would be so easy to let go and slip away…

 _Just give up. Give up._

He'd slip away, and all his problems would disappear…

 _Just like that._

* * *

 _Lmao it only got worse Cuz Yag showed up._

 _Tkx Yag._

 _he's only tryna help._

 _Also Rock is pretty much bad luck lmao._

 _Nothing goes right with him around._


	91. Hold the Line

_aight new chap._

 _Some Riot info._

 _Riot not talking cuz he's kinda sheepish haha._

 _9 chaps to go!_

* * *

$KP's quarterly earnings call. One of the most important events in the year for the company. The recent quarter hadn't been too good for Kagura Pharmaceuticals. Several class action lawsuits had reared their ugly heads over the past three months. The portable skin graft kit R&D was taking longer than expected, and the liver transplant stabilization - although it was now approved - had been approved late. The stock was overvalued, and most definitely was going to pull back once the numbers came out.

Madame always gets so stressed before these meetings…

That was what Madame Kagura had told her secretary before handing all of her communication devices over, and demanding that nobody disturb her until the earnings call was over. Messing up a public event of this magnitude not only displayed a profound disrespect toward investors, but also incompetence. If there was ever a time for prudence, it was now.

Secretary Collins knew the drill. It was one of the few times she was given jurisdiction over Madame Kagura's personal calls. Normally nobody called anyways, so she wasn't too concerned. She straightened her blazer, laid out the four cellphones in a row across her desk, and dug into her yoghurt and granola McDonald's breakfast.

*Brrrrrr - call from: Yagami Cell… Brrrr*

...Uh oh.

* * *

" _MOVE!"_

The doctors knew better than to get in his way. The head Doctor had enough interaction with him to know he was no stranger to violence, and had no qualms about using it. Clearly, he had instructed his team concerning how to handle him. Despite every single one of them telling him he absolutely _could not_ bother Chizuru Kagura right now - nobody tried to physically stop him, and when he instructed them to strap Rock Howard into a gurney and follow behind him, they complied.

Dr. Akira was at the forefront of the effort, and was doing his best to reason with him, but the doctor could barely get a word out between breathless panting. Iori was moving pretty quickly and the doctor clearly wasn't used to this kind of rigorous exercise. It didn't matter either way, as Iori wasn't listening. He, and his entourage of about half the floor's medical staff, were rapidly approaching the elevators.

"Yagami sir… _(huff, puff)_ … could you please wait a bit? We … _(huff- puff)_ at least need to warn Madame-... _(Huff)_ "

Iori Yagami didn't even look at Dr. Akira. Both of them knew he wasn't going to sit down and wait an hour while Rock Howard was having a posession induced seizure. Rock needed help now, and Kagura was going to do whatever she needed to do to get Orochi out of this kid.

 _How the hell… is he somehow Orochi clan? Maybe Shermie or Yashiro did something? Dammit! What the fuck is happening…_

Besides, Iori hardly asked Chizuru for anything - one request wouldn't kill her. Although he regarded her very highly, and really did love her - Iori had shockingly little contact with someone he considered one of his closest allies and something of a mother figure. The only time he had any meaningful interaction with her was when he visited her home during his annual trip to Japan. Outside of that, he rarely spoke to her aside for emergencies.

And this was an emergency.

So he didn't give a damn if he was ruining her important business meeting. He didn't care about her stocks, he didn't care about her operations, all he was concerned about right now was fixing Rock Howard. Chizuru would do it, because, although he didn't involve himself with politics, Iori knew how much he was worth to Chizuru.

 _Fuck! Pick up the phone, Kagura!_

They were all packed in the elevator, And we're slowly rising to the 20th floor. Iori felt the cold pulse of the Yata mirror resonating against the Magatama, and knew she was close.

The Magatama was also recognizing the presence of Orochi from Rock. It wasn't strong, nothing like that of the Hakkeshuu or Leona, but it was clearly and identifiably there. Rock was suffering something of a mini-riot… but how?

 _Why so suddenly? What triggered this? Its… gotta be me, right? Is it… ST-1? I thought Kagura said it won't spread! He's not trying to bite me… but…_

Iori glanced over at the teenager strapped to the gurney. Rock's eyes had rolled completely back in his head, and he shuddered and seized as if racked with terrible pain. The doctors had injected another dose of relaxant into him, else he would have thrashed his way to the floor by now. The foaming at his mouth had thankfully subsided, and his jaw had locked shut so he could no longer scream, but he was still clearly about to lose it. Perhaps he had already slipped…?

 _Hang on kid… fuck!_

Iori gritted his teeth and dialed Chizuru again. The bandages about his wrists (which a hazmat team had applied not 5 minutes ago) were limiting his movements. The elevator was moving far too slowly for his liking, and had just crawled past floor 14. Impatient, Iori nearly elbowed a nurse in the back of the head as he put his cell phone against his ear and waited as angrily as he could. He made a frustrated noise when the call, once again, went to voicemail.

 _What the fuck!_

Iori pocketed his phone and elbowed his way to the gurney. Nurses and doctors shifted out of his way as he leaned over the teenager and grabbed him by the chin in an attempt to look him in the eye. Did Rock fold already, or was he still holding on? The longer he resisted, the less permanent this would be. The Blood Riot did that to a person. If it conquered you, you lost a bit of yourself forever. With every incident, you became just a _bit_ more bloodthirsty until you hardly recognized yourself… _until you're a fucking psycho._

Was he actually Rioting this very moment? Was Orochi slowly eating away at his brain?

 _Damn Orochi._

It was a slippery slope, and one Iori was desperate to keep Rock off of. Playing host to a piece of Orochi, no matter how small, was a miserable existence, and one that led to a swift death. It changed a man. It made him vile… and Iori was fairly certain this was somehow his fault. He was going to do everything in his power to keep this kid from becoming like … _like him_.

 _Fuck I gotta get through to him._

Iori gritted his teeth and stared down at the boy. He leaned in close and shouted at him. Iori knew better than anyone what a battle with Orochi was like. It was nothing short of a painful, noisy hell. Iori was thankful he was blessed with ridiculous vocals.

"Howard! You still in there? Hold on. Don't slip!"

He studied Rock's face carefully for some indication of acknowledgment. The only one he got was a sudden increase in the flow of tears, and the grinding of teeth. Iori wasn't sure what that meant, but decided to take it as an affirmative.

"You don't need to beat him! Just resist for a bit longer. Five more minutes and I'll have that Bastard outta you. Do you hear me? You need to fight! If you lose now, you'll never get rid of him!"

Rock's locked jaw slackened and he released a choking sob. Good. It wasn't a choking laugh. Rock was still battling, and that meant he still had a chance to be free of Orochi's influence entirely. A paralyzed arm snapped up and seized Iori by the elbow. Fingernails dug into his skin until blood flowed and left droplets on the Gurney's fabric. Iori let him squeeze as much as he liked. It was always easier when you had something to hold on to.

"You got this kid. Just a bit more and it'll be over. Hold on! Do you hear me? Hold the line! You can do this!"

Rock emitted a gurgling noise. Iori was about to respond with some more (admittingly awkward) encouragement when the elevator arrived at it's destination with a _*Ding*_

Finally.

The doctors and nurses quickly spilled out of the elevator before him and gave him a wide berth. Iori noticed offendedly that they had all put on gloves and masks, and refused to touch the gurney when he motioned for someone to push it and follow. They pointed at the blood (once again) dripping down his arm and Iori rolled his eyes.

 _Fuck… whatever, I'll drag him myself._

He looked like a crazy person, dressed in hospital gown with blood running down his arm and pushing Rock's gurney down the beautifully tiled conference hall. The room at the end, that was where she was. He felt the mirror's coldness emanating from that room, and made a beeline for the polished mahogany double doors.

"Who are you? Stop!"

A blonde woman (Iori recognized her as the secretary) with a pixie cut stood and attempted to block his path. She wore the same expression that the doctors did, and said much of the same things... but she made a mistake. She reached out and grabbed the gurney in an attempt to stop his progression.

 _Bitch!_

A glance, and a white hot burst pulverized the bones in her shoulder. She collapse to the ground with a shriek. Luckily there was an army of doctors to converge upon her. Iori ignored them all and strode toward the door. Orochi could feel the mirror as well, and was making a last ditch effort to crush Rock. The boy shrieked and thrashed, and all Iori could do was curse the evil god.

He could only pray Rock was holding tight and Chizuru's ritual was short.

 _Damn it… hold tight!_

* * *

 _So there's a reason why Yag gets More and more evil as he gets older. Maybe it's a good thing he's going to die at 30 lol. It sucks this up baybee_

 _Kind of debating whether to let rock keep some Orochi power, or just take it off him. What do you think? Let me know in a comment._


	92. Bought and Paid For

_eyyyyyyyyy_

 _92\. Brocky hold on!_

 _I'm thinking of cutting baby boy off Orochi entirely. Hmm... Still debating._

 _You still need to wait for tonight (in-story time) to figure out wtf is up with Rock._

 _Once again I'm really friggin thankful that Actually has a Canon connection._

* * *

"...and strong financial position allows us to make investments in technology, infrastructure, and our people. We have a responsibility to sustain and enhance the value of Kagura Pharmaceuticals for our stockholders and-"

 _*Bang*_

 _*Shriek*_

With a motion so violent that she cracked the button in two, Chizuru interrupted her own sentence and jammed her finger through the mute button just as the scream carried through the line. She dearly prayed the thirty thousand people on the call didn't hear the cacophony that had just begun exploding from outside the conference room.

 _"Huh? An attack?"_

 _"What In the world?"_

 _"Is someone outside?"_

The conference table's occupants, about 20 of her high-level executives and board members, murmured among themselves and looked about - confused. They had no idea what the commotion was, and were looking quite worried that the earnings call had been muted. Somebody reached to their phone line to reconnect, but Chizuru snarled at him and he froze. A 2-minute silence was better than the alternative... Because Iori Yagami was outside her door, and from the fiery prickling the Magatama was emitting, was keen on raising hell.

*Bang*

As the doors were kicked open and Iori strode in, Chizuru felt her temper flare and fill her head with heat. Could he have chosen a _worse_ time to do this? Didn't she give the order to knock him out for a couple more hours? What sort of combination of incompetence and idiocy had conspired such that Iori Yagami could walk into one of her most important business meetings of the year wearing nothing but a bloody hospital gown and dragging a rabid American on a gurney. She raised her voice and hollered.

"Iori! Yagami! Get! Out!"

She was wroth and stood to her feet to shriek at him. He - surprisingly - shrieked right back, overpowering her and probably causing permanent hearing loss in the executives unfortunate enough to be seated close to where he was standing.

"No! Kagura, I need you to fix my kid before Orochi fucking eats him! Do it now!"

Chizuru blanched as Iori (who wasn't allowed to order her around anyways) tried to give her commands, and in front of a room full of her executives to boot! Who did this brat think he was? Iori Yagami, who was normally rather compliant, had now decided to butt heads with her? Maybe at some other time, but now was no time for power play.

 _Phew…_

She summoned the mirror's power and reached out toward him to seize his mind. Although Iori's eyes were blazing feverishly and his movements were quick and sharp, Chizuru knew he had just gotten out of major surgery and certainly wasn't in peak condition. He had never seemed to notice her mental infiltration before, so chances are she'd get away with it this time as well… _after all, whatever this was it could wait 45 minutes… probably._

She poked into his brain and planted her thought. ' _I need to leave Chizuru alone for the next-'_

*CRACK*

Everyone recoiled as a burst of purple-white blazed out with a tremendous brightness and noise. No matter how many times Chizuru had seen those flames, she was always shocked as to how blinding they were. She gritted her teeth as her power was shattered and repelled. Iori's Magatama was substantially more powerful than the Kusanagi Sword and the Yata Mirror due to Orochi's influence - and he easily broke her hold on his thoughts.

 _Shit…_

Iori fixed her with an accusatory glare. His eyes were wide, and he curled his lip in disdain. He hadn't made that face at her in a long, long time. Chizuru had forgotten the smell of _that_ particular danger. It was a terrifying one.

The flames vanished. The room fell silent. Iori growled.

"That was low, Kagura."

Chizuru composed herself. She even threw some honey in her voice for good measure. Time was of essence, and every second she was here arguing with Iori, was one more second of embarrassing silence on $KPs earnings call.

"I'm busy, Gammy. I'll be with you in half an hour."

"No."

He didn't take that well. His face twisted even more and he bared his teeth like an animal. He let go of the gurney - where the blonde American foamed at the mouth and thrashed about - and stuck his hands through her polished granite conference table. As he spoke, he ground his nails against the stone with a horrible noise. His voice was quiet, but packed with so much venom Chizuru felt herself involuntarily balling her fists beneath the table.

"I almost fucking died for this kid. My life is the most important thing I've got, and this brat almost cost me… I bought and paid for him in my own fucking blood! He's mine, and I'm not about to let you kill my people for your stupid-ass phone call!"

He turned his glare on and his lips pulled back over his gums as he leaned over the table. He was tearing gashes in the granite as if it were fabric. He looked like a devil, but spoke in a reduced and deceptively mild tone.

"So Kagura, you know I'd never hurt you. I'd never threaten you. I'd never betray you… but if you don't fix my guy - _right fucking now -_ I will make every one of _your guys_ ," he gestured towards her conference table of executives, "piles of fresh charcoal. _Do. You. Get. Me!?_ "

He finished with a snarl on his face, and _just_ a bit of joyful insanity tainting his voice. Damn… Iori was a dumbass and a lunatic, but he _knew_ how to be scary. Her executives were all frozen stiff and beginning to panic. Chizuru herself was also feeling it… because Iori wasn't bluffing. Not at all.

But she needed to save face. She narrowed her eyes and put on her poker face. She turned up her nose at him and spoke with matching disdain. She needed to escape this with _some_ dignity and somehow demonstrate she _wasn't_ being shoved around by her lunatic hellhound.

"Gammy, since when do you fall in love so easily? Don't jok-"

Iori didn't even wait for her to finish her sentence before he turned toward the Executive closest to him (her Legal/Compliance chief, Mr. Constant Divorcee), and hurled a burst of flame at his face. A shout rang out from the terrified bystanders, and for the second time today Chizuru was forced to interrupt her own sentence.

"Yagami! Stop! Okay, Okay!"

The flames passed harmlessly over Mr. Divorcee - who had fallen out of his chair and was pressed up against the far wall. Iori turned to look at her. He had that cold expression in his eye and nodded toward the gurney. His voice was flat… _he really is the Yakuza heir. Damn him._

"Fix him."

"Fine…"

Chizuru had lost… and had lost disgracefully to her _own fucking dog!_ She trembled in rage as she walked around the table to stand in front of the gurney. She had lost, but she wasn't going to take this defeat lying down. Chizuru didn't often use profanity, so when she did, it was shocking. She could see it's effect on the faces of her executives as she hissed the words.

"Fine… but once I finish, I'm going to slap you shitless, _you little fuck._ "

"..."

Iori wasn't phased. He merely motioned towards the American again and replied in a flat monotone. His eyes were like a dead fish's and his demeanor was expressionless.

"Sure. I don't care... Just fix him."

* * *

 _Oof devilmom got out deviled._

 _Big slapp._

 _Yag's a loving guy u know? (X.x)_


	93. Vicious

_Good Morning v2_

 _Mini-riot._

 _I'm fairly certain earnings calls are recorded beforehand so shit like this doesn't happen smh._

* * *

 _Five… minutes? Holy shit boss… I don't think I'm gonna last…_

Rock Howard was all the way at the end of his rope. He had never experienced a fight like this in his entire life. A physical fight? Sure, he could deal with it. He'd been trained, and had sparred with the best. He could take hits. He could trade blows. Worse case scenario, he could tap out. After all, he didn't _normally_ fight for his life. He was trained for tournament sport - not military ops.

 _Stop! Stop it!_

But this was something entirely different. He had begged like he had never begged before. He sobbed and cried and trashed and fought… never had he ever felt so _fucking_ helpless before anybody. There was… something evil in his head. Some terrible and malevolent power that overwhelmed his senses seemed to be trying to crush his very existence. It wanted to kill him. It seemed to tremble with joy at his suffering.

 _Who are you! What do you want! Please! just… stop it! Leave me alone!_

He barely had control over his body anymore. He felt his limbs thrashing so violently, he feared his joints would snap. His gums ached from how hard he was clenching his teeth. His eyes were rolling about so quickly he only caught flashes of colour. Rushing and nasty whispering filled his ears. There was burning, burning pain in every nerve in his body… but he held on.

He couldn't tell the time, but he still held on.

Because although he could see very little through a veil of tears and snot and eye-spasms, he did see that flash of red - and the flash of fiery purple flame. Flames meant things were serious, and the only time Rock had seen Iori bust them out was when he slew Yashiro. That meant stuff was getting done, right?

 _Hurry up! Dammit!_

Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but Rock knew he absolutely could not give up. Iori had said if he gave up now - this horrible creature would be with him forever. Rock would rather die!

 _Fuck!... I really might die! Come on Rocky just power through!_

… soon enough… soon enough this is gonna be ov-

… -ver?

…

...

 _Huh?_

A wave of frigid coldness… then...

Everything was gone.

The whirlwind vanished. The sound of wild rushing faded from his ears. The pain had disappeared. The malevolent presence was swallowed up and left his mind in peace. Darkness gave way to light, and - like a miracle - Rock drew in the sweetest lungful of air he had ever taken.

"Howard?"

Startled, he snapped his eyes open and looked up. Iori was leaning over him, and looked deadly serious and kind of scary. Rock's moment of sweet relief was interrupted with the knee jerk reaction to cringe away. He averted his eyes, took a quick look around, and realized he was in the middle of a fancy conference room packed with important looking people in suits. They were all staring at him - along with a bunch of doctors and nurses. In that moment, Rock wished he had passed out instead of waking up - because although Iori clearly didn't feel embarrassment, Rock certainly did.

"Hey, Did you win?"

Rock stopped staring around the room to focus on his employer. With no little effort, he sat up - and to his shame, realized he dressed in what appeared to be a very long t-shirt, and _wasn't actually wearing pants._ Granted, Iori sported similar inappropriate attire, but _he_ would probably walk around buck naked if he were allowed to. Rock blushed red, then flinched and Iori reached out and grabbed him by the hair. The red-haired man stared deeply at him and snarled in a language Rock didn't understand.

" _Hello?! Where are you looking? Who the hell are you? Is that you, Orochi you fuck?! Let my kid out or I'll get Kusanagi out here to fucking roast you!"_

"Ouch! Boss, stop it. Let go!"

" _Humph."_

Iori let him go but didn't step away or break that unnerving eye contact. Rock grimaced and massaged his scalp. It was a wonderful feeling having control of his own limbs again, and he realized he was terribly sore all over. Iori didn't seem to care he had just recovered from the most ridiculous ordeal of his life, and glared at him with his arms crossed over his chest. Some of the important looking businessmen had begun filing out of the room, but one particular woman continued to stand over him and watch. Her voice was as smooth as silk when she spoke, and Rock immediately decided he liked her much better than Iori.

" _Gammy be quiet..._ Now, my dear, what's your name?"

He looked up at her. She was beautiful and peaceful, and somehow everything just seemed... _okay_.

"Rock Howard… ma'am."

His voice was a bit shaky, but he was immensely relieved that Iori had decided to stop talking to him. Although he _really_ was quite thankful to Iori - he was much happier being thankful from a distance. The man had saved his life for the third time this week, yet Rock still wasn't comfortable dealing with him. This stranger was much better.

"Mr. Howard, during your ordeal - was there any time where you lost consciousness or blacked out?"

It was so easy to focus on this woman's voice. She had… something of a mystical quality about her, and he just felt… better. _What the heck Rocky, you don't even know her…_

"Uh, no ma'am."

She offered him a gentle smile, then half turned to the red haired man standing beside her. By this time, the room's occupants had given them a wide berth and many of the business-people who had left the room, had come back to stick their heads through the doorway. Clearly everyone was to eagerly watching for something. Rock frowned and looked back and forth between his employer and the nice lady - who had stepped away from his gurney and were facing each other down.

 _What's going on…?_

The nice lady had focused on Iori, and smiled a gentle smile. Iori didn't look her in the eye and wore an uncharacteristically grim expression. He stared dead into the distance and was gritting his teeth. Rock watched them curiously.

"Look alive, Gammy."

Her voice was so sweet and gentle, and she appeared so graceful that Rock had already convinced himself this woman could never hurt a soul.

 _..._

So when she wound herself up, and _viciously_ _backhanded Iori across the face_. The shock alone was enough to cause Rock to cry out. It sounded really painful, and Iori reeled from the impact and clutched his jaw. The audience of business-people all made shocked noises as well, and suddenly - Rock felt he was spectating in a fight. As he observed Iori hunched over and hissing, and the 'Nice Lady' standing over him like a disdainful deity, Rock suddenly felt much less intimidated by Iori.

Because this gentle lady… _she's the real boss._

And now, she broke the silence. The gentle lady's voice had gone chilly and her eyes blazed in anger. She glared down at Iori like he was dirt, and curled her lip into a snarl.

"Now _get out of my building_."

She flicked some blood off her fingertips, turned on her heel, and left the room. The businesspeople followed behind him, casting backward glances at Iori as they left. Soon enough, the door closed and he was left alone with the victim of the most perfectly executed bitchslap Rock had ever borne witness to. Despite everything, he was quite impressed.

 _Wow... she has guts... who is she?_

His eyes fell on Iori, and Rock decided now wasn't the time for speculation. Rock raised his concern.

"… Boss, you okay? What the hell was that?"

Rock quickly unstrapped himself from the gurney, and swung his legs to the floor. Iori looked a bit disoriented as he straightened out and blinked several times - as if to clear the stars from his eyes. He looked over to Rock and smirked. His voice was warning, but there was a hint of pride there as well.

" _That_ was Chizuru Kagura. She's cool, isn't she?"

"I guess s-...What!? Kahgora?"

"Yeah. Close enough."

Chizuru Kagura? The CEO lady who could fix Whip's eyes? No way. _I've gotta deal with her? Are you kidding me?_

Iori seemed to read his expression and rolled his eyes. He winced as he straightened out and began making his way toward the door. He didn't turn to address him.

"Don't worry. She'll be your friend for my sake... Let's go."

Rock hopped off the gurney to follow him. Apparently the nice lady wasn't so nice after all, but Iori seemed relaxed enough, and looked like he knew what he was doing. Rock shrugged - put aside his questions, and followed.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"Lunch. I need to talk to you, but I want food first."

That was… rather abrupt. Was this... normal? Rock was surprised that Iori would let himself get slapped around, and was about to make a comment - until he remembered _he_ had actually punched Iori in the face before. After a moment of contemplation, he bit his tongue and followed his employer down the long hallways, marble floors cold against his bare feet.

"Oh... okay."

 _Yeah...lunch, Of course… that natural course of things… wait…_

"Boss? What about clothes?"

Iori stopped walking. He looked down at himself and seemed a bit startled.

"...Ah. Yeah… Clothes… Good idea."

* * *

 _GOOD IDEA._

 _Iori is still crashing in Chiz's living room tonight._


	94. Love with no Affection

_this chapter took so long lol_

 _Wreeee_

* * *

"So… Are you're firing me"

"No? Who told you that?"

The two of them were sitting in Iori's favorite Japanese Barbeque restaurant, and having a rather grim conversation over grilled meat. They were both dressed in ill fitting suits (Iori had asked his bodyguard troup to find them extra uniforms) and Rock was sitting across the table having difficulty with his chopsticks. Watching him try to eat with one in each hand was quite entertaining, and Iori might have taken the time to teach him if he didn't have more pressing matters to attend to.

Rock was complaining.

"... Okay fine, but you're my boss, and you're telling me to quit. It's pretty much the same thing as firing me, you know."

Iori rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and let out a long sigh. All about them, likely _every single_ Yakuza bodyguard had filled the restaurant to the brim, and we're drinking and eating as much as they could. Clearly, news that ' _the heir is treating anyone who shows up at XX Restaurant, bring your family for lunch'_ has spread quickly through the ranks, and his head bodyguard had actually reserved the entire venue in preparation for the event. Iori didn't really intend to fund a party, but he didn't mind either.

Besides, handing over a credit card was easy enough. Dealing with Rock? Not so much.

"I'm not _telling_ you what to do."

Whilst one group of Yagami employees were having the time of their lives, Rock Howard certainly wasn't. The two of them were in a quieter corner of the restaurant and - after they had roasted and consumed one plate of brisket - got straight down to business.

"You don't want me in the band and you're just trying to be nice about it? Come on! Just tell me straight to my face! Since when were you _ever_ shy about stuff?"

Rock was looking downcast and frustrated. He fiddled with his chopsticks and angrily stabbed holes in his napkin with it. Iori was becoming annoyed with his assumptions, and did his best not to raise his voice. He failed.

"Shut up! You don't need to guess what I'm thinking, cause you can ask and I'll tell you. Listen to me!"

Iori jabbed a finger at him.

" _I've_ got Orochi blood flowing through these veins, and it's super fucking poisinous. People get sick when they touch it - but _you_ rioted out. I'm _not_ healthy for you."

Rock frowned at him and replied snappily.

"You're not healthy for anyone! What's your point?! You just want me to quit!"

"No! Dammit Howard!"

Iori planted both palms over his eyes and leaned back against his chair to groan. His side complained as the stiched muscle tugged on itself, and he didn't hide his discomfort. Rock was glaring hard at him and clearly wasn't happy with the direction this conversation was taking. He was becoming more aggressive in his speech and he raised his voice.

"Yeah? Are you sure? Because you've fired me twice in the past three days. What do you expect me to think!?"

Rock had a good point. Frankly, if Iori were to act purely in his own self interest, Rock wouldn't be getting this talk at all. Instead, they'd just head back to Florida and get back to work. Iori didn't usually put the brakes on his agenda for other people's mental health - but he'd grown quite fond of Rock Howard.

 _You really are a weird one, Yagami..._

Two months ago during Rock's audition, Iori decided he rather liked the teenager and placed the boy firmly in his good graces. Every action toward him for the coming months was dictated purely on that arbitrary standing. At this point, the situation evolved such that Rock Howard became one of 'his people', and as a result Iori had found himself terribly concerned with his employee's well being - and that included his mental state.

Because the poor kid had experienced a tremendous amount of _horrible fucking things_ in the past three weeks. Not just physical trauma, but psychological too. It wasn't easy fighting for your life, or becoming a murderer, or witnessing people being tortured and killed. That wasn't an experience Iori would wish on anyone (he gave two shits about), and especially not one of his own.

 _So Just fucking tell him…_

He felt Rock's gaze sharply focused on him. The kid was mad. Iori didn't really know why - but he _did_ know Rock's temper flipped on and off like a light switch. He'd probably go back to being timid in a couple of minutes. Iori didn't move his hands from his face when he started speaking. His cadence was slow and he spoke with a sigh.

"Just, listen… If it were up to me, I wouldn't even _let_ you quit, much less fire you. You're a great addition to my team… but this was supposed to be a _musical_ tour. You were supposed to learn how to perform. Nobody was supposed to kill each other. _You_ definitely weren't supposed to go kill people. None of this nasty shit was supposed to happen - and even if it did, you shouldn't have seen any of it… but-"

Iori dropped his hands and looked sadly at his protege. Rock looked a bit startled at his speech, and the frustration had fallen from his face. Iori planted his elbow on the table and motioned at him. His voice had gone quiet.

"-but look at you now. You're a kid, but you've seen hell… and once you step into hell, it never leaves you… it'll fuck you up, and the longer you stay, the worse it'll get. You need to get out."

A long silence. Rock was chewing his lip and staring soberly at the tabletop. When he didn't say anything, Iori sighed and continued.

"… if I were," he gestured vaguely, "y'know someone else, then this type of thing would never have happened. I've got a lot of enemies all over the world, and I'm certain the only reason we saw trouble was because of me. Sucks being famous."

Rock glanced up, but didn't interject.

"So no… I'm _not_ firing you." Iori crossed his arms over his chest. He through a note of sternness in his voice. "But I _do_ regret bringing you on tour… If you also regret coming, then, I think it's best you put this all behind you. Go home. Try to forget. I'll write you a recommendation to whoever you want, and you'll walk out of here not having lost anything. That's it."

More silence. Clearly, Rock knew precisely what he was talking about when he spoke about the lasting effects of a killer's trauma. Perhaps he had been hiding it all for… who knows how long, but his expression cracked and he suddenly looked incredibly jaded. It seemed that Iori had hit the nail on the head.

Iori finished up.

"So that's my plan for you… but you need to be the one to make the decision and follow it through. Take some time, call whoever you need to. Figure out who you wanna join. We'll be heading back to Florida sometime next week, so no rush. Sound good?"

Rock just stared at him, mute.

Iori shrugged and turned his attention to his food. He didn't really expect an answer right away, and wasn't in any rush to get the ball rolling. The room was filled with the delicious scent of roasted beef, and the sound of low murmuring and the clinking of glasses rang out through the building. It was a peaceful and joyful sound, completely uncharacteristic of the events leading up to this moment. Rock still hadn't said anything, but Iori was fairly certain he would take the proposal. It was a pretty good one.

 _It's one I'd take._

Rock split the silence.

"... so… I suppose… you really do want me gone..."

Rock's voice was quiet and his expression was strange. He looked somber, but he also seemed to be carefully mulling over something. Iori didn't offer any response. He continued cooking.

"I didn't think you even… I dunno… _haaah…_ "

Rock looked him dead in the eye. Iori looked up to meet his gaze.

" _You_ are a lunatic."

Iori blinked. He hadn't expected to be insulted. Although Rock's words were scathing, his tone was more complaining than angry.

"I just can't figure you out. You're absolutely horrible. You're violent. You're erratic. You're unreasonable. You're delusional, and I actually hate having to interact with you. You make a normal conversation feel like pulling teeth. I've been thinking of quitting this band since day 2!"

Iori merely drummed his fingers on the sizzling stovetop, unfazed. Rock clenched his teeth and continued.

"It's _so bad_ , and you're _so freaking weird,_ that I sometimes forget you've been giving me _every good thing_ you've got. Nobody believes how much you're paying me. Nobody believes you're teaching me either. When I go home, they won't believe it when I tell them you gave me your credit card, or bought me a phone."

Rock grimaced. His cadence sped up, as did his volume.

"You've saved my life three times this week. The first time, you went to jail. The second time, you got shot. Then again this morning, you got pimpslapped by a CEO. Are you a masochist?"

Rock shook his head and squinted his eyes. He sounded frustrated and confused.

"I was thinking that maybe you just really cared about your band and only did all this shit to keep me as a member. I mean, I could believe that. You're the most neurotic person I've ever met, and you make no sense anyways..."

Rock jabbed to finger at him and exclaimed, exasperated.

"But no! After all that pain and investment… you decide it's better to kick me out and hand me off to some other band?… Are you kidding me? I've never had a real job before, but I'm pretty sure Bosses don't do this. This isn't normal. What the hell _am_ I to you? Do you just really like screwing around? Are you just _trying_ to be confusing? Like, do you do this for fun? … _gaah!_ "

Rock put on a tremendous frown and slumped into his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed with a note of finality. He wore a pissed off question mark on his forehead, and was clearly as confused as he claimed to be. Some of the people sitting at adjacent tables were watching them with interest.

Iori merely shrugged and started into his second plate of meat. He only started talking when Rock got annoyed and kicked him in the shin.

"Ow… _(Chewing)..._ Look, honestly this is pretty normal for me. Dunno what you're so riled up about. If you can't stand me, all the better. Quit."

Rock ignored the second half of his sentence and gave him the most incredulous look he could muster. He couldn't seem to string his words together, and he gaped like a fish out of water. Iori just quirked his eyebrows at him. _Why is this kid so mad?_

"W-what? What is 'normal'! This isn't normal! You… you just straight up murder _some_ people without even blinking, then you give your credit card to others? What are you even thinking? Do you just do random stuff to random people!? Hell, man! I can't figure you out!"

"You don't need to figure me out. You're about to quit."

"No, Goddammit, explain!"

Iori rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Rock was driving this conversation sideways, and was ignoring all of Iori's attempts to get it back on track. As he talked, he busied himself cleaning his nails.

"... well, if you _need_ to know, I'll tell you. But I doubt it'll make any sense to you. Ready? Cuz I'm only saying it once." Rock nodded, so Iori sighed and continued.

"There are two groups of people in this world: _'my people'_ and ' _not my people'._ See?"

Rock glared at him but was silent.

"I don't give a shit about the people that don't belong to me. They could all roll up and die for all I care. But the people _I own…?_ Nah. Nobody is allowed to touch my shit. Nobody is allowed to screw with my people. I've got five."

He raised a hand and counted them off.

"My Shitty rival, My Shitty boss, My Shitty uncle, My Shitty landlady… and you, my Shitty employee. Welcome to the club."

Rock seemed momentarily offended, then confused. It was the expected reaction. Iori was beginning to tire of this conversation, and quickly pivoted and rattled off more plans.

"So anyways… After you quit - and you should quit - and fly home, I'm taking these guys," He motioned with his chin at the restaurant full of partying bodyguards, "and we're gonna go crush the Triads in Shanghai. It's gonna be a bloody fucking mess, and you shouldn't be here when it happens. I just need to make sure nobody comes chasing after you a couple years down the line… especially if I'm not around. Just the standard stuff."

The confusion was turning into concern. Rock looked like he was about to ask more questions, so Iori cut him off.

" _And afterwards_ , I'll write a nice letter to whoever you want - _except Athena_. - she's pissed… You get to stay in their band for a couple of years. Hopefully it'll take you less than..."

Iori tapped the table as he did some math.

"Three years and nine months to have enough experience to start your own group. By that time, come find me, and I'll give you this band. I've got some pretty good connections, and everyone already knows the name. It'll be a good launchpad… that's it. Are we good?"

Iori huffed, polished off his second plate, and started roasting his third. Rock's face looked like abstract art with how many emotions were clashing within him. He wasn't sure if he should be thankful or upset. It was a pretty funny expression, and despite everything, Iori sniggered.

"Wait… wait, boss… You wanna _give_ me the band? That's … do you know what you're saying? I mean… you're number three! You-…are you retiring?"

Iori froze mid-smirk and stopped eating. He briefly considered deflecting the question, but figured Rock would find out sooner or later. _At least_ he'd find out three years, and nine months from now. After a moment, he responded - but didn't lift his eyes from the plate in front of him.

"No... I'll be dying."

Rock's voice was quiet.

" _...what?"_

"Don't tell my life insurance."

"... _suicide?_ "

Iori scoffed.

"Of course not. Next."

"You're sick! Can't you fix it? Ask the Kahgora lady!"

"No. Next!"

Rock sounded panicked, but he saw clearly that Iori wasn't giving any more information on this topic. He swallowed his curiosity with great difficulty, then frowned down at the table. True to form his anger had dissipated, and he went back to being exhausted, shocked and afraid. Iori really didn't know how he maintained that state of mind without going bonkers.

"Alright… fine. Fine… _jeez…_ Okay, what about this weird … people ownership thing?"

Iori yawned.

"I told you you wouldn't understand it, didn't I? and I also said I wouldn't explain it again."

"... yeah, but... "

Iori sighed.

"Look. People that belong to you _,_ they're the people you call your own. ' _My dad', 'My friend',_ people that like that. You'd go to the ends of the world for them. Everyone else, you don't give a shit about… well, maybe _you_ give a shit about them, but I don't. Can we move on?"

" _...what?"_

"I'm not talking about this anymore. Eat something."

Rock ignored him. He leaned back in his chair and stared at Iori with wide, incredulous eyes. He had stabbed his chopsticks into his rice and held his chin in his fist. They remained like that for a long moment, and Iori finished his third plate of roasted meat.

Finally, Rock broke the silence. His brow was furrowed and he chewed his lip. Iori put his eating utensils down and mimicked the teenager's posture. He listened with a bored expression on his face.

"Boss… you're not serious… right?… I mean… I only met you two months ago… _why did you risk your life for me?_ Isn't that too much? I barely know you."

Iori groaned. What the hell did he need to do to get this kid to move on… _just tell him what he wants to know? Fine… worth a shot..._

Iori looked at the ceiling for a bit before responding with an exasperated sigh.

"I wasn't gonna die anyway, and it's not like I really think about this shit. Don't ask me to explain, because I don't know. It's just the way it is, okay? Compared to the shit I do for my other four people, this is nothing."

More question marks on Rock Howard's face.

"The way it is? That way what is? What do you mean? Have you gone crazy?"

Iori offered another deep frown, then decided on the best way to move on.

"Howard. I really don't need your psychoanalysis. Here, I'll show you what I mean, then you drop this topic forever. Agreed?"

Rock nodded an affirmative.

"Alright… So you've heard the term 'Sacred Treasures', right?"

Rock frowned and leaned forward eagerly. There was curiosity written all over his expression. He gave another nod.

"So there's three, the Sword is bravery, Mirror is wisdom, and the Magat-... Uh, _Jewel_ is benevolence. All of us, we can't help it. Kusanagi was born a cocky asshole, Kagura has always been a scheming bitch… then there's _me._ "

Iori unbuttoned the top of his shirt and he stared down at his collarbone, keenly focused. After a moment, he exhaled, and in one quick motion stuck two fingers through his sternum and pulled out the jewel, all without spilling a drop of blood. Rock's eyes went wide as saucers as Iori waved the Magatama at him. It was hefty, about the width of his palm, and it glowed with a strange, ethereal light. He'd spent many evenings staring at it, and to this day, couldn't decide exactly what color it was.

"I'm Benevolence. _I'm_ supposed to be the good guy in the group."

He scoffed as he stashed the jewel back into his chest and buttoned up. Rock gaped. He didn't say a word.

Iori immediately went back to business.

"So apparently _'goodness'_ runs in my blood. You don't need to trust me, but I'm telling you right now, I'm looking out for your best interest. Stop asking dumb questions and do what I say. I'll pay for your flight home and three months of severance… think about what band you want to join, and call Bogard while you're at it. Tell him you're okay. I don't wanna deal with your crazy parent.

Rock was frowning hard and seemed to be carefully thinking to himself. Iori dearly hope to he was thinking about what band he wanted to join, because he didn't want to try and explain his own mental gymnastics anymore. It was confusing enough having to deal with it. Giving a lecture on it? Borderline impossible.

"Ah, yeah… Dad… I forgot..."

Rock seemed to startle out of a stupor, and pulled out his phone. As he dialed Iori interjected, relieved that this was all done and over with.

"-also tell him you're quitting."

"I'm not quitting."

"Okay, but make sure to…" it took a moment for the words to sink in, " _Wait, what?_ I thought that... _Why?!_ "

That was a shock. Iori suddenly sat straight and furrowed his brow. He was certain he had pulled all the stops and provided a pretty solid basis for his plan. If he were a salesperson, he would have smugly concluded he had closed the deal. Rock had subverted his expectations, and it was -frankly- a bit annoying. He felt his patience fly away and began glowering.

 _I even pulled out the Magatama… what else do you what, kid?!_

Rock was still keenly focused on the table. He spoke slowly and tentatively, as if he were verbally answering exam questions. Iori glared at him.

"... I'm not quitting. I'm not gonna follow your little plan, because all of your plans are garbage. You planned this tour, and it's been a disaster since day 1. I trust your intentions, I just don't trust your brain. Thanks boss, but no thanks. I'm sticking around."

Iori must have looked flabbergasted, because Rock followed up with a tentative:

"I mean… unless you're firing me again… _"_

"..."

"Boss?"

* * *

Yag speechless smh.

He got roasted harder than a meat on that grill.

Imagine someone makes career choices based on your track record for stupidity? Lmao

At least he's rich.


	95. The Heir

_JK LOL NEW GOAL FOR FINISHING IS 110 Chapters... or something._

 _Maybe I'l shoot for nice number 111_

 _Because holy crap i'm not making it in 100_

 _Unless you want 5k word chapters._

 _And I don' want 5k word chpters_

 _You might have noticed I took this chapter down a reposted it? Its because I submitted the wrong pre written chap_

 _sorry for notif spam._

* * *

Several miles from the outskirts of the great city, Tokyo, if you took a left onto the long, winding, private road just before the first highway exit, you would find yourself driving for miles through thick forest before a tremendous gate blocked your path. It was a beautifully maintained gate, large, imposing, deep black and polished to a reflective shine. A surname was etched into it in gold relief. A name that made the underworld tremble. This was the Yagami ancestral estate.

It hadn't always been so glamorous. For many generations the Yagami family had been a mere shell of their former glory. Their flames were mere party tricks, their power was waned, and they had slowly but surely lost their influence within the mafia underworld. It had only been 20 years since the estate had been all but abandoned. To survive, clan members either turned to other professions, or fled to join outside operations, where they were scorned and abused for their infamous bloodline. The once proud clansmen found themselves dyeing their hair and changing their surnames to avoid detection. Twenty years ago… the only occupants of this once derelict house, were four derelict old men - who still dreamt of power - and the young, newly orphaned, heir.

 _"The heir! Sir, he's ten minutes out! Is… is there anything we should do?"_

Initially, the 5-year-old boy showed no promise whatsoever. The cursed Magatama - the shard of god - did nothing but sit uselessly in the boy's chest, as he busied himself eating dirt and throwing tantrums. The old men despaired as they felt their flames grow weak to the point of vanishing. The heir was the retainer of the Clan's strength. He was a spigot for Orochi's limitless power. If he was strong - each member of the clan felt their power wax, sometimes dramatically. If he was weak, then so was everyone else.

 _"Everyone! Look alive! Whatever you do, don't piss him off."_

The last heir had been weak, as was the one before him, and the one before _him_. Three generations of pathetic scrounging was enough to destroy any organization. If this boy was to grow up like his father, then… _well… no use thinking about it._

It was an asinine thought.

Because that very same brat who did nothing but shout at everyone and play his violin all night long, would grow to be the strongest Yagami heir that had ever lived. There was enough desperate insanity in him, that he had managed to become allies with his curse (allies with the Blood Riot! Imagine that!). He and his curse had struggled through war zones alone. He had died and was brought back to life. He had fought god barehanded… he could turn any landscape into a burning hell. The spigot was on full blast, and seemed to flow more strongly by the day. The Yagami clan was strong again...and they were eager to reclaim what they had lost.

 _Perhaps it's a good thing he decided to move to America… the clan can reap the benefits, without actually having to put up with him… hohoho~_

It was a wonderful feeling when the power first flowed. It came with a jolt, breathing vigor into everyone who bore the Yagami blood. Suddenly, all the clan members who had left the crumbing estate to become lackeys for rival groups, found themselves nigh invincible. In a single week, the men and women who had scattered out and infiltrated the ranks of their enemies, slew their way to the tops of their organizations. From that fateful night, Japan's underworld was dramatically conquered by _'Yagami'_ , and suddenly the old family found themselves launched into the dizzy heights of power and influence.

 _Hohohoho~ and everyone started visiting again… now this old place as all polished up and bustling with business..._

Yet Iori, their heir - _the source_ … he didn't care one bit. At the time, he was sixteen and spent every moment he could either fistfighting the Kusanagi heir, or training to fistfight the Kusanagi heir. Initially, the fourth elder thought one would kill the other… _then,_ for a couple of years, he was pretty certain they had become lovers (and teased Iori ruthlessly about it)… whatever it was, the two heirs had since become rather good friends, and although many clansmen weren't happy with their relationship, they didn't dare say a word. This heir was too precious to piss off, and they knew Iori held no loyalty toward them anyways. Today was the first time he was visiting the main Estate in four years, and the powerful and feared clan members were freaking out like a pack of headless chickens.

 _"What do you suppose you'll be asking us? Something ridiculous to be sure… were still dealing with the Aramco problem! He couldn't have chosen a worse time!"_

 _"... Perhaps he's only here to greet us? One can hope..."_

 _"Wait, ask his handler, did the fourth tell you anything?"_

 _"He says the heir didn't mention why he was coming… just be careful. You know how explosive that child can be… and he has no love for the clan. Don't say anything rash, understood?."_

 _"He almost got killed recently! You think he's mad at us?! I mean, remember? The boy has got a temper…"_

 _"Ahh, don't say things like that… just gather the clansmen… make sure nobody shows him disrespect, or our heads might be on the chopping block…"_

The fourth elder yawned and chuckled to himself as the first, second, and third elders consulted each other, worried. Of the four of them, only he had spent the time to raise and befriend the heir in his youth. Whilst the other three elders focused on finances and growing the Clan's influence, only the fourth kept in touch with Iori - even when he moved to America. He was the only person in the entire building complex who had even a murky idea of what was going on - and was actually quite excited to see his elusive, and _very strange_ nephew. It'd been a long time.

The old man, attended by his small group of servants, stood to his feet and made his way down to the main lobby. All around him, clansmen. We're scrambling - wild eyed - for the arrival of a very tired kid who had just gotten out of surgery and had probably eaten too much for brunch. It would be a shock for both parties, and the fourth - mischievous as always - was going to be there to witness it.

 _"Five minutes out, guys! Come on! What are you wearing! Put on something more formal!"_

 _"... Like a suit? Or something traditional?"_

 _"Obviously traditional! Make sure to bow if you see him… even though he's younger than we are, he's the heir and we need to show respect!"_

 _"Understood! I'll let everyone know!"_

* * *

 _4th Elder is a cool OC._

 _I'll have to kill him someday._


	96. Meet & Greet

_Okay... so this is the doc I accidnetlay submitted as ch 95._

 _right._

:0

5/24: I think I forgot how to english. holy shit, either FF is cutting my words, or my english is deteriorating... (EDITED FOR GRAMMAR)

* * *

 _Whoa…_

They had left the restaurant about 40 minutes ago, and were rapidly approaching what Rock assumed to be their destination. Their train of limousines had spent the past ten minutes travelling through a gorgeously forested path, and once they cleared the foliage, the tremendous structure came into view. At least thirty feet tall - black and glassy like obsidian - and set in sharp relief against the tall white walls that enclosed the property. It was _apparent_ the imposing front gate of... Iori's house?

 _No way_ … _Boss lives here?_

Rock was fairly certain Iori had said they were going to his 'Japan House' before he swallowed a couple of pills and went to sleep. At the time, Rock didn't feel the need to ask for details. Rock had seen Iori's apartment in SouthTown, and it was honestly the shittiest, most unimpressive place he had ever stepped foot in. He figured his boss wasn't a huge fan of luxury… and had wrongfully assumed his 'Japan House' was comparable to his 'SouthTown House'.

Rock's expectations were subverted, to say the least. Their vehicle was first checked by a team of guards before the massive gates pulled apart and they were let into a meticulously decorated modern-style garden surrounded by several large, ornate buildings. The place absolutely _reeked_ of money. Everything looked hand carved, custom made. The road was marble cobblestone. The light ground-lighting was crystalline. The trees were all manicured, and even the sparse wildlife matched the surroundings. Rock swore he saw a cat with a jeweled collar. Rock was immediately reminded of the Mafia Boss's lifestyle documentaries he had been obsessed with a couple of years ago.

 _Whoa… the place is huge._

Rock continued to ogle at the scenery until the car pulled to a stop. The doors were opened by a footman, and Rock peeked out to catch a glimpse of the building they were probably about to enter. He was about to climb out, when one of the bodyguards stopped him - and with a sheepish expression on his face - wordlessly motioned, as if to ask if Rock would wake Iori up.

 _Are they that scared of him?_

Rock, of course, obliged. He crawled back over to his employer - who was dead to the world, hanging off his seatbelt strap and snoring softly - and began to shake him. After a a bit of excercise, Iori sputtered awake, slapped Rock away, and stumbled out of the car. Rock followed behind. He took the opportunity to ask for details - and was promptly ignored.

"Hey boss... uh..."

 _"... fuck... we're here already? Dammit..."_

That... wasn't a good sign. Was Iori forced to come here against his will? Perhaps this wasn't his house after all - but rather some sort of trick, like the fake restaurant in Shanghai? Rock felt himself growing increasingly worries as they crossed the stone bridge leading to a building's entrance. Iori's face was fixed in a grimace, and he just muttered to himself as they passed into the building. He looked uncomfortable - as if he were expecting something bad to happen.

 _... oh man... wait, but these are the bodyguards, right? ... they're on our side... why is Boss so nervous?_

They stopped at the threshold as everyone was sent through a metal detector. As they stood waiting in line, Rock took the opportunity to discreetly ask about the situation. He tapped Iori on the shoulder and whispered over his shoulder. Iori responded in his normal - _loud -_ tone of voice.

"Hey boss...Where are we?"

"Family house."

"Um...is it... are we...gonna be okay?"

Iori turned to glanced at him, and Rock perceived Iori wasn't as 'nervous' as he was 'annoyed'. Although he had just walked into the building, he already looked so incredibly fed up, he was ready to stomp his feet and yell at someone. He wore the same expression everyone had when they walked out Mrs. Blackwell's calculus lecture. Rock felt his stress unwind as Iori explained.

"Okay? uh, yeah... it's just gonna be terrible. I haven't been here in forever, so _everyone_ is going to come by and try to give me advice... You decided not to quit, so now you're stuck with me... tip: Just smile and nod, and wash your hands afterwards because by the time we're through you'll never wanna shake another hand ever again… I'm gonna try and dip early, so stick close… hopefully everyone shows up late, and we can take off early. I need to talk to someone here.. then we can go."

"Oh... Okay? Who?"

"My weird uncle... _hey, come on, let's get away from these bastards._ "

Iori nodded toward their group of bodyguards (who had unluckily found themselves stuck behind a lady with too many earrings) in the metal detector line, and quickly stood to stride down the hallway up ahead. Rock had to jog to keep up. There was a noise from behind them - as their entourage was left without their charge - and that only motivated the two of them to move even more quickly. They took several twists and turns before Iori steps became hesitantly short, and he began checking his GPS for directions. Clearly, a four year absence was enough to make you forget the building layout, because they were now lost. Rock shrugged and fell into step closely behind his employer as they made their way down the ornate hallways. The situation was a bit stupid - but he felt a twinge of relief.

 _Thank god it's not awkward..._

After their conversation in the restaurant, Rock feared there was going to be some change in how Iori treated him. After all, Rock had squeezed something of a … _confession_ out of his employer. Iori had admitted, with no little embarrassment on his part, that he cared rather deeply for Rock's well being, and was trying to shield him from additional mental trauma.

 _Hah… he's nuts… but I guess I shouldn't complain..._

The red-haired man had seemed pretty upset with Rock's decision to _not_ follow his advice, (and supposedly, the rather insulting reasoning behind it), but after 20 minutes seemed to forget the conversation entirely. Clearly, words didn't mean much with Iori Yagami.

Because, although Iori was pretty much the worst, most offensive, misunderstanding, and stubborn person Rock ever had the displeasure of interacting with, he was also the only person to _actually_ take a bullet for him. Rock wasn't sure exactly the reason he was staying in this crazy band, but something in him said it was the right thing to do. He just hoped he wouldn't come to regret his decision.

 _You can just quit later…_

In any other situation, Rock would have gone to Terry for advice. However, at this point, there was far too much explaining that had to be done. He would have to confess to murder, to nearly being killed, to Shermie and Yashiro _actually being_ horrible and dangerous… Well, it just really wasn't worth the time - and Rock was certain the worst was past. There was no reason to worry his father about it.

 _Yeah… dad will definitely make me quit…_

So when he spoke to his father over the phone earlier today, he had lied through his teeth. He made sure to step away before he made the call, (he didn't want Iori to catch him telling fibs, and rat him out) and found himself hiding in a bathroom stall. Terry was incredibly relieved, if not suspicious, to hear that " _Everything is okay"_ , " _Shermie and Yashiro got fired"_ and " _something came up, so we're cancelling the Japan concert"_. Nevertheless, it got Rock's father off his back for another week or so.

With dad taken care of, he just had Whip to handle. During lunch, he asked Iori about getting a favor from Chizuru Kagura. Unfortunately, _and quite obviously,_ Iori had fallen out of grace with the CEO, so he recommended Rock ask her directly. To be honest, Chizuru Kagura was the most intimidating person Rock had ever met, and was really wasn't looking forward to asking her anything… For now, he was just going to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Yagami ancestral estate, and _not_ think about what he was going to say to her.

 _Just…Oh dammit, Rocky, stop stressing out... go help Boss get un-lost... or something._

Rock forcibly tore his thoughts away from his next difficult task, and tried to relax. He let his eyes wander over the building's interior as he followed behind Iori in this absolute maze of a building. He opened their conversation with the obvious.

"Boss... are we lost?"

"... no."

"Didn't you... like, grow up here?"

"Shut up, Howard. They remodeled... _now, where the hell is the..._ "

They had stopped in a large, lobby-like area where the path split into three. Strangely enough, there was nobody in the hallways for them to ask directions from, and frankly things were getting a little creepy. Iori had pasted himself against a window, and cursed - exclaiming.

"They fucking re-did the garden too! Shit! How the hell am I supposed to know where I am!"

Rock just rolled his eyes and cast them up to admire the architecture.

The structure was imposing. Very old and very carefully refurbished in a way that screamed _'expensive'_. Despite the traditional external appearance, the insides looked more like a museum or an office building then any sort of home. The place was all dark, polished wood - high, well lit ceilings and filled to the brim with offices and conference rooms. The hallways were scattered with glass boxes displaying expensive artifacts as decoration. They even had little cards with descriptions in English and several other languages. Clearly, this was where business was handled.

… _Why are we even here… I mean… couldn't we just go to a hotel or something?_

Rock frowned. He had been under the impression Iori was heading home to take a nap… _or something_. Obviously, there was nowhere to nap in this place, so what could he be up to?

 _Wait… the gang..._

At the restaurant, Iori had mentioned something about going after the Chinese gangs. What's he seriously going to do it now? Because honestly, Iori looked like he belonged in a hospital, _not_ on the front lines of a gang conflict. Rock observed his employer's lopsided walk and grimaced.

 _What a horrible idea… he really is terrible at planning._

Rock should have taken the _'Do not follow Iori's plan'_ mantra to heart, because after a good deal of deliberation - Iori decided the best path forward was the next left. The corridor lead to a set of heavy polished doors. Iori excitedly approched them, and the moment he pushed them open, he was greeted with the sight of about a hundred - rather surprised - red haired people.

There was a brief moment of shocked silence, then a loud shout went out - as each one of them bowed at the waist and exclaimed something loudly in Japanese.

 _("Welcome sir!")_

Rock was terribly startled, first by the noise, and second when Iori whirled around and almost knocked him over.

"Ow, Whoa! Bos-"

"Shit! Let's go! they're all here!"

"What?! H-hey boss"

It was at that moment their abandoned Bodyguard troup finally caught up with them, blocking their exit. They looked just as flabbergasted as the crowd of red-haired people. Iori decided the best course of action was to try and shove his way through them - but it obviously wasn't working.

 _("Seriously! Are you fucking serious? Move your ass! Don't make me hurt you!")_

 _("Yagami sir, please - the clan members ha- Please come back sir!")_

 _("Leave me alone!")_

 _("Ack! Someone grab him, Hey- Sir! Come back!")_

(etc...)

* * *

 _Iori lives in a shitty apartment because he somehow believes it will help him evade taxes_

 _it doesn't._

 _Iori hates meet and greets. Fans... family... everyone._


	97. Tea with Grandpa

_CH 95+96+97 were all originally one chapter..._

 _whatever. I promise I'm almost done, story is on schedule - just word counts got longer than expected._

* * *

"Ohoho~ young heir…"

The three of them were seated together in a spacious, traditionally designed office space. There was a large window to the left which looked out over the courtyard's peaceful zen garden. Birds chirped outside and cicadas buzzed. It was a peaceful scenery and the fourth elder had spent many-an-hour enjoying it with a pot of tea.

"...you've gotten fat, haven't you? I see America has been treating you well!"

"What?! No-... Shut up old man!"

Iori, offended, scowled at him as he poured himself another cup of tea. He wasn't actually _fat_. In fact, since his youth - he had always been worryingly sinewy. Once he moved to America and he started working with those IKARI soldiers, he had put on enough weight to look normal. The elder wasn't quite sure what those guys fed Iori - but it obviously did him some good… the most important thing (to the elder), though, was that Iori had become rather sensitive to being called _fat_.

"It's healthy weight."

The fourth elder chuckled as his nephew grumbled. He was an old, wizened man who, despite his age, hadn't lost his sense of humor. Although he was technically one of Iori's uncles, his age was closer to that of a grandfather. Obviously, seniority didn't matter much to Iori. He was rude to everyone, and even the fourth elder wasn't spared the snark. Thankfully, the old man had essentially raised the boy after his father died, and had found his attitude rather amusing - if not endearing.

"It's okay, uncle still loves you… Are you here to introduce me to your boyfriend?"

 _"He. Is. Not. My. Boyfriend."_

Iori and the blonde American were sitting across from his desk, and both looked exhausted. Iori looked like he had just gotten the snot beaten out of him. He was splattered in bruises, friction burns… the full works, and to top it all off, a very distinct handprint on the left side of his face. There were few people who could actually lay a finger on him - so chances were, he had done something stupid.

The American looked much better. He didn't bear the marks of combat - but he did seem to be suffering a recent injury in his shoulder. He also had a set of dark rings under his eyes, and had this look of worry and confusion etched in his features. He was nervous and fidgety. The very personification of stress. The fourth elder found it quite amusing.

The two of them had gotten a shocking greeting in the lobby this morning, and had run the gauntlet of hand-shaking and miscellaneous hellos for about an hour before escaping to the 4th elder's quarters. Iori had _always_ hated the clan rituals, but some things just didn't go away. Despite his hollering and screaming and yelling - he (and his confused American follower) ended up shaking every hand in that room. Both of them looked burnt out, but Iori was just far more vocal about it. The American continued to smile blandly at empty air.

The fourth elder chuckled at the pair, and leaned over his elbows to goad his nephew a little bit further.

"I think you two are a great match. You look so cute I'd pinch you… but it looks like someone beat me to it."

"Old man! He's not- ... _Ugh!_ "

The fourth elder chortled as the heir began trembling in (fake) rage. Somebody had gone to town on him a couple of hours ago - and it did look quite painful. The elder figured he would spare his rowdy nephew from any more roughhousing, especially since he should be recovering right now.

"Just shut up."

Iori rolled his eyes and grumbled. The American kid had leaned forward and was enthusiastically nodding and pretending to be listening to the conversation. Obviously he wasn't, because he didn't understand Japanese - but the fourth elder appreciated his attempt at politeness. It was a wonder such a good kid had attached himself to _Iori Yagami._

 _I already feel bad for him._

"... and yeah. Kagura got mad at me… it's nothing. Hey, Old man, I wanna go after the Triads."

 _Aaand_ the formality was over. They were back to business. The fourth elder poured himself some more tea and filled the American's cup as well. The boy put great effort into attempting to communicate gratefulness without words.

The old man chuckled at him, then matched the heir's serious tone. He was an elder after all, and prided himself in his particular shrewdness. Oftentimes, he was the mischievous, and rather annoying old man... but when things started happening, and decisions needed to be made - everyone turned to him to take the lead. He had carried the Yagami clan forward in it's march toward domination.

The fourth elder leaned back into his chair and stretched. He spoke languidly, countering Iori's urgent tone.

"Yes, Yes... I know you do, as does the rest of the clan. We can't have anyone putting our darling little heir in danger, now can we?" The fourth elder winked, and Iori grimaced. "… Ms. Kagura gave us a lead this morning… We'll be investigating the tip closely before we take any action."

Iori frowned. Obviously, he wanted to fight a gang war _now_. The young people these days were all so rash.

"Old man, give me the name. If the clan won't do it, I'll do it myself. I took NESTS, I can take Shanghai."

The elder waggled his finger. Iori glowered.

"Nope. You need to rest."

"I'll find a hotel. Tell me his name."

"Ha. How trustworthy you are... Nope. If you want the name, you're staying _here_ and _behaving_ for the next week."

The fourth elder watched as Iori's face twisted into 'tantrum mode'. The man he stood violently to his feet and filled his lungs in preparation for bitching his way to victory. The fourth elder took the opportunity to snatch his (empty) teacup off the desk and hurled it at the angry young man. The small piece of ceramic smacked Iori squarely in the stitches - and his cry of anger became a cry of shocked pain. His instinct knew it was coming, but his torn muscle simply couldn't keep up and dodge the slow moving projectile. Iori doubled over, clung to his side and collapsed back into his seat.

"Whoops... sorry, Mr. Heir. I've just killed you. You need Rest."

As Iori hissed curses to himself, the American jumped out of his seat and began to fret over him. It looked as if the boy was about to retaliate on behalf of his employer (obviously not knowing the context of the 'attack') - but Iori found breath to stop him. The fourth elder plucked up another teacup from the tray and filled it as he observed the two young men from the comfort of his office chair.

 _They really are an interesting pair…_

"Now that I've convinced you... I've had the guest house cleared out already. I'll send someone down with your pills. Be a good boy and sleep for a couple of days - won't you? Ah, and take your boyfriend with you."

 _"He's not ... my-"_

"Sure, sure... off you go, now! Try not to get too rowdy."

* * *

 _yee_


	98. Urgency

_Why chaps so long..._

 _:0_

 _Here's your IKARI chapter u guys keep bugging me about._

 _Who better dad? Clark, 4th Elder or Terry?_

* * *

 _*... foster care? Wait… seriously?*_

"... Unfortunately, that's what we'll need to do. There's no way around it. I've stalled the commander long enough… I don't think he'll wait any longer. It's been three days, Rock."

Colonel Clark Still felt pathetic. It was bad enough he was relying on a nineteen year old college student to procure a complex and _very expensive_ medical procedures for one of his operatives, but _guilting him too?_ If Clark weren't desperate, he would never had fallen to such depths.

It was nine in the morning in the South American base, and Clark had just stepped out of an upsetting meeting to make a call in the hallway. The meeting was concerning Whip, and what IKARI was to do with their now blind analyst. Three days ago, Leona flew out to extract Seirah from a Shanghai shipyard, where she had been attacked and horribly maimed by the now-deceased Shermie. The Hakkesshu had gouged out Whip's eyes, and cauterized her eye sockets. By the time Whip received any medical treatment, her optic nerves had all but died. Her chances of regaining her sight were slim, and now - with nearly 72 hours elapsed, was now completely gone.

But Chizuru Kagura wasn't called the ' _Miracle woman'_ for nothing. She performed medical procedures that accomplished feats formerly thought to be impossible. When Kyo Kusanagi was dragged - half dead - out of a NESTS facility with his guts poked full of holes and poison running in his veins, Chizuru took him in. In a single month, Kusanagi had regained his former robustness and was immediately back to his crazy antics. She was also responsible for patching Iori up and changing his parts whenever he was damaged - which in of itself was a tremendous feat. KP's publicly available medicine was already impressive, but the experimental stuff? _That_ was where the magic happened.

Clark didn't know for sure whether Chizuru could fix Whip's eyes - given her nerves were black and necrotizing - but he would be surprised if she _couldn't_. Chizuru was Whip's best and only shot at regaining her sight. It was too bad that the pharmaceutical giant's CEO absolutely hated Commander Heidern, and by extension the entire IKARI force.

Commander Heidern had asked Chizuru to fix Whip a couple of days ago, and the answer was - obviously - no. IKARI doubled down on attempting other treatments - but all had failed. Now, it was Kagura or nothing… and if nothing, Seirah would need to be discharged.

Rock's voice was shrill and complaining as it carried through the receiver. Clark actually winced away from it.

 _*How could you do that to somebody! She won't even know who she is! Have you… have you ever been through foster care? It's the most horrible thing you'd ever experience! You can't!*_

Clark responded in a cold voice.

"Howard… we can, and we will unless Whip makes a recovery."

Rock continue to complain, and Clark's sighed to himself.

Unfortunately, due to Whip's position within IKARI, her discharge wasn't as simple as receiving a nice pension and retiring to Hawaii. She was too valuable, she knew too much. The most reasonable way to keep IKARI secure was to actually _dispose_ of her. However, although the commander was a hard man - he wasn't cruel. He couldn't bring himself to do that. Instead, the second best thing was this. Whip would have her memories wiped clean. She would be given a name, an identity, and sent out into the world as a normal 16-year-old girl. She would have no family. No friends. No experience, and no security… but at the very least she would have her life.

Clark opposed it with every fiber of his being, but the Commander's logic was sound, and his order was absolute. If Chizuru didn't put some new eyes in Seirah's head, then everything that made Whip who she was, would be wiped into non-existence. The girl they knew and loved would be no more. One way or another, Clark what's going to try and convince Kagura to save the young lady he had come to look at as something of a daughter.

His first line of attack had been through Iori Yagami. When Iori didn't give a single shit - Clark turned to the subject of Whip's stalking, and Iori's young and naive band member, Rock Howard.

Rock had been quite eager to help, but it had been 3 days with no good news in the pipeline. Clark had assumed it would be easy for the boy to simply make a request of Iori - who in turn, would make a request of Chizuru, but apparently it wasn't so easy… or Rock Howard was procrastinating. In any event, now that IKARI was discussing the best way to discharge the blind analyst, Clark needed to see action, and see it now.

 _"Why would you do that?!"_

Rock was still whining about the foster care. He seemed quite fixated on the topic. Clark frowned and gave a measured answer.

"She's being sent for her security, and ours too. We can't have her get kidnapped and squeezed for information, do you understand? We also can't have her playing dead weight on the team. If she goes blind, This is the only way."

 _*That's cruel!*_

A couple of minutes ago, Clark had called Rock Howard to explain the situation from him - and hopefully encourage him to ask for this singular favor. To be honest, the Colonel had become a bit frustrated with Rock's slowness. Although he did his best to hide it, it's still clearly came through in his voice.

"It may be, but _you_ are even more cruel. Iori is good friends with Ms. Kagura, and she will gladly do him whatever favor he asks. Iori will also do whatever favor _you_ ask him… is it really that complicated?! Do you know how much Whip is suffering right now, while you're over there Dilly Dallying? Where is your resolve, boy! Just say the words and this will all be over!"

Ah, he got a little heated there. Clark pressed his phone against his cheek and looked out over the jungle canopies. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Across the line, Rock's tone had gone from shocked and sympathetic, to surly and belligerent. That was quite a surprise and Clark raised his eyebrows. _Is he learning from Yagami?_

 _*... Are you kidding me?! Look - I'm sorry, but it's not like I'm just sitting around here! When you last called me I was about to quit, then yesterday, I was fired twice and Iori got shot in the stomach. This morning, the Kahgora lady slapped Iori in the face and threw us all out of her building… I've been going through hell here… why am I the one who has to do this?! You're IKARI! Just ask the Kahgora Lady yourself!*_

Clark blinked and grimaced at the news. Iori had a falling out with _Chizuru Kagura?_ _Really?_ That was bad news all around, and was especially bad for Whip. The only reason Rock Howard was valuable was because he was connected to Iori. The only reason Iori was valuable (for this particular undertaking), was because he was connected to Chizuru. If any link in the chain was broken, then this wasn't going to work. There was one path of success, and from the looks of it, that path had closed. Clark cursed under his breath. He let his frustration show in his voice.

 _Still worth a shot… maybe Iori still has some clout with the devil woman._

"... I see… look, Rock, you were our last chance. I know you've only known Seirah for a week or so, but she really did like you. The only reason she's like this, is because she risked her life to come help you when you were in trouble..."

Silence over the phone. Rock's breathing was bitter. Clark spoke with a slow cadence, but let his tone betray disgust.

"But now, she's in trouble...I don't know what kind of situation you're in. I'm sure it's all very new, and very stressful… _but there's a life on the line here - Howard!_ This is no way to show gratefulness! Get off your ass and tell Iori to call Kagura!"

There was another long moment of silence. Clark needed to check the phone twice to make sure Rock hadn't hung up. He wasn't sure how the teenager would react to this kind of speech, but prayed that it would motivate him to try a bit harder… because over the past couple of days, Whip hadn't been Rock's top priority.

The line crackled. Clark chewed his lip as Rock spoke. The boy's tone was dark and angry. Sarcastic, and surprisingly vicious.

 _*... Oh, so is it my fault now? I didn't ask to be kidnapped and I didn't ask for Seirah to come and try to save me! I didn't even need her help! I was the one who ended up saving her! Isn't that enough? Hell! Do you know how many other people died that day? I already have to deal with the guilt of killing them, and now you want to pin the fact Seirah isn't at 100% on me too?! Are you kidding?! Fuck off! I don't even know you! Why are you telling me what to do!*_

Clark winced. Rock had seen through him. Morally, it was laughably hypocritical for him to try and guilt Rock into saving Whip's life. In fact, if Whip had gone to trial for what she did in that shipyard, she most certainly would have received the death penalty. Nearly every member of IKARI had a significant amount of blood on their hands. Nearly every member was too embarrassed to speak about justice or goodness… because a few years of action proved to _even_ the most delusional that they we're neither just nor good. Sure, Rock had sullied his hands, but not nearly to the extent that IKARI operatives had.

 _Dammit… should have just come clean with the kid..._

In addition to arguing with a faulty logic, Clark had also severely underestimated Rock's propensity for anger. The boy had come off as incredibly timid for the majority of their conversations - but it seemed he hid something fiery behind that facade of cowardice. Clark softened his voice and rapidly attempted to backpedal. He was cut off before he could even get a full sentence out.

"Hey, I'm sorry… look, it's just that Whip is really important to me, and-"

 _*I don't care! I told you that I would do it, didn't I?! But I'm not doing it out of guilt, and definitely not because -you- told me to. Whip is my friend - and I'm not letting you bastards erase her memories and throw her into some foster home!*_

Clark stuttered, then sighed in relief. Rock was angry at him, but obviously he wasn't ready to give up on Whip. Given the urgency in his voice, it looked like he was finally going to do something.

 _*You had better not touch her until I get those eyes. If I find out you've chopped her brain in half, I will personally come find you and punch you in the teeth… okay?! Dammit! (Footsteps)… Boossss!? Wake u-*_

* _Click*_

Clark blinked and look down at his phone. The line had disconnected. Their conversation had not gone as planned, but the results were as good as Clark was going to get. He offered a brief prayer into the void and wished every bit of luck he could muster upon the young man for Seirah's sake.

* * *

 _Broky is just a means to an end for everyone. smh_

 _except Yag - who apparently just likes him._

 _Thanks for being a bro yag_


	99. AGGRESSION

_wreeeeeee_

 _99_

 _moving those goalposts tbh._

 _now I have time to chill and stretch things out. :riot_bae:_

* * *

 _("I'm sorry sir, I can't let you in")_

"I need to talk to Boss! It's an emergency!?"

 _("Ughhh… look, I have no idea what you're saying… can we go? Let's go to the lake, okay?")_

Despite the bodyguards' protests, Rock stood his ground and shook his cell phone at them. About an hour ago, he and his employer were escorted from ' _Old Uncle Teacup's'_ office to - what Rock assumed - was one of the many luxurious guest houses on the estate. Iori had been in quite a bit of pain after his weird uncle tagged him with that piece of ceramic, and was in a sour mood the entire time they walked. Rock wasn't quite sure what had happened. He just knew his employer had come out the loser in whatever confrontation he was having with the old man. Considering that Iori had rather begrudgingly made off to bed with a canister of pills, Rock could only assume the old man demanded Iori get some rest before… _probably before going after the Chinese gangs. Guess - someone - in this place has some sense._

Obviously, Rock didn't want to be stuck listening to his boss sleeptalk for the next four hours, so he decided to excuse himself and deigned to pass the time wandering through the peaceful estate gardens. Iori had told him he didn't " _-give a shit what you do, but I think there's an alligator pit somewhere - so I'm sending some of these doofuses after you. Come back in one piece because I'm not explaining shit to your dad.'_ \- before locking himself behind a couple of doors and the haze of drug induced unconsciousness.

… Which was completely fine, for all Rock cared. Even if Iori _had_ taken a bullet for him, it didn't change the fact that the red-haired man was completely insufferable. Rock grabbed his backpack, his water bottle, and set his sights on the nice looking path leading down to the lake. He had always liked exploring, and was looking forward to a tranquil - mind cleansing - walk.

He had only gotten a couple of steps off the guest house's deck before Clark called his cell phone, and Rock's tranquility was turned into anger and stress. Upon the conversation's conclusion, he whirled on his heel and ran back up to the guest house to holler and bang on the door, dearly hoping Iori's pills hadn't kicked in yet.

Of course, they had, and Rock was pried away off the door by four beefy - and very confused - bodyguards. He was currently engaged in a complicated game of multi-lingual charades with them, and was making no progress whatsoever. He was seriously considering just running around the back of the building and knocking out a window to shake his employer awake for the second time this afternoon, but figured the guards would stop him from doing that as well.

 _These damn guards… ughh…_

The troup of bodyguards, in addition to not letting him through, were also acting strangely toward him - as if he were some distraught toddler. Their attitude annoyed Rock more than it should have, and he found himself red-faced and huffing and puffing in no time.

 _How the hell am I supposed to convince them if they don't understand me… ugh… how long is boss gonna sleep…_

Rock grimaced and plopped down on one of the chairs on the deck. He glanced over at the guest house's locked front door, and after giving it a long glare opened his phone and dialed his boss. There was a snowball's chance in hell the ringtone would wake Iori up if he was on drugs - but it was worth a shot anyways. Whip was in trouble. She was _blind_ for god's sake… and going into _foster?!_ Foster Care was bad enough when he was whole, healthy, and robust. It would be infinitely worse for a disabled person. Rock had suffered four years in that disappointing hell after his mother died. From ages seven to eleven, he learned to mute his emotions, to be suspicious of everyone, and had developed a rather severe case of passive-aggressiveness. The experience had been horrible, and he wouldn't wish it on anyone - and definitely not on his friend.

 _Dammit boss… ugh… I guess this isn't even his fault… I should have asked earlier…_

Rock needed to contact Chizuru Kagura, which was - in of itself - a daunting task. Did she know who he was? If so, would she even be friendly to him? She had slapped the shit out of Iori this morning, and Rock had no reason to think she wouldn't treat him any differently.

 _Grow some balls Rocky… gah! You gotta write a script… gotta give this your best shot..._

He switched over to his notepad app and began typing up a few bullet points for himself. How was he supposed to convince her of anything? What a difficult task this was… he could try cold calling, but he was essentially asking her to perform a difficult and expensive medical procedure, _for free_.

 _What the hell… shit, I need Boss to do this for me…_

Wait… who would he call? There was no way the CEO of a large company posted her cellphone number on the internet. Maybe he'd call the department? Maybe some secretary would pick up… and once she did, she would hang up immediately upon discovering Rock was asking for free medical work.

 _Oh dammit._

But if all the stars aligned, and he managed to get _Chizuru_ on the line, his request was still extremely audacious. She likely bore him no good will, as he had ruined her meeting with a… _Orochi(?) induced_ seizure this morning.

 _Oh man, am I ever glad that that's over… Boss said I'd be okay, but I wonder if it'll happen again… ugh, I hope not…_

Rock huffed and glanced back at the door. He stopped feeling bad for himself, and focused on the task at hand. Rock needed to talk to Chizuru Kagura and somehow convince her to treat Whip. Time was ticking, because soon enough - Whip's army buddies were gonna deep fry her brain then abandon her to the chilling embrace of the American foster system.

… _I'm so thankful to dad… shit! Gaah!_

Rock twisted his face into a snarl and stood up. Iori was still Whip's best shot, so Rock was going to bug him until he caved. Rock had learned that, although Iori had a really convincing 'scary face' and seemed to be doing his best to make himself as unpleasant as possible, he had proven himself quite generous… _toward Rock at least._ Rock couldn't see Iori giving him too much resistance.

 _I mean… he's kinda a pushover? Eehh… not really… whatever… it's just boss…_

So Rock clenched his fists, took a deep breath and trembled as he felt the power of the earth fill him to the brim. His power… it was vastly more powerful than what he was used to. It was stinging and nasty and running up and down his nerves. It was terrifyingly reminiscent of his seizure this morning, but Rock huffed and steeled his emotions - refusing to give himself over to the addictive violence.

 _Phew… chill… not angry… quick… just use it for a moment..._

He was going to break down that door… because by the time Iori woke up, these mafia people would probably have a billion things to bug him about. Rock could see himself being ignored entirely until it was far too late. In order to get this done, Rock couldn't remain passive. Now was the time for aggression.

 _Right… fast, before the guards have time to see… I don't wanna hurt anyone… will they shoot at me? No way… okay…_

 _*Crunch*_

A shout went up from the bodyguards - who had spent the entire time smirking amongst themselves and giving him these weird sideways glances. As the door splintered beneath his fist and he streaked across the living room and up the stairs, the guards jumped up and followed. Thankfully, they were slow to follow him upstairs, and he was unhindered as he stomped around and rapidly opened and closed all the bedroom doors until he found his employer's unconscious body - which he immediately began to shake awake.

"Boss! Hey! Wake up! It's an emergency an-"

 _("Urrrgggg….Howaard - what the fuuccck…")_

"Wake up! And speak English! I need-"

 _("Get off me… shit… what time is it…")_

"Boss, listen to me!"

(etc...)

* * *

 _Guards think they're so gey_

 _lmao._

 _gg_


	100. Backbone

_GIANT CHAPTER WHAT THE HECKITY_

 _Stuff finally moving._

 _Chapter 100 lmao! dammit so long._

* * *

" _...gonna put her in foster care, and honestly I absolutely cannot allow that. Do you even know how horrible that will be? She's not even gonna have any memories, she won't even know who she is. Right now, she's so knowledgeable and capable, and in - like a couple of days - her army guys are gonna turn her into a blind, scared sixteen year old that…"_

Iori Yagami was _really fucking_ nauseous. The drugs always came with some side effects - but he didn't recall them ever being so bad. He was groggy, sweating pretty disgustingly, and wanted to go hurl up his four plates of barbecued beef. Unfortunately, Rock Howard had other ideas, and (after shaking his brain into mush) remained so excited that he failed to release his grip on Iori's shirt as he babbled. Iori felt his brain struggling to keep up and just stared through Rock's forehead, straight up at the ceiling, as he was fed a tremendous amount of information.

" _... So please! You can do something, can't you Boss? The Kahgora lady can fix Seirah, right? At least that's what Colonel Clark told me. Seirah came for me at the Shanghai shipyard, and honestly - even though she's kinda bossy, I feel like I need to help her, cause she helped me. I also…"_

Iori glanced around the room as his vision settled. His entire upper-body weight was being supported by the front of his dress shirt and it wasn't very comfortable. Rock had also planted a knee on the edge of the bed and occasionally shook him to make a point. If Iori wasn't so addle brained, he most certainly wouldn't have tolerated being manhandled in this fashion, but alas…

 _What's happening…_

Where was he… what time was it? How long had he been out? The room was gloomy and dark, but Iori could tell it was daylight out based on the light filtering in from behind the blinds. Had he already slept twenty-four hours? If so, why did he feel so shitty. Rock didn't seem to care that Iori's brain wasn't turned on yet, and continued to talk _at_ him.

… _So can you please call her again? Do something? Because otherwise Seirah is gonna be gone! You can do something, right? I mean, somebody in this place can! How abou-_

Iori wasn't catching a single word Rock said. He wasn't particularly interested in what he had to say, either. He felt shitty, groggy, nauseous, and _needed_ Rock to stop shaking him, because he seriously wanted to hurl.

"Howard... shut the fuck up, and _let me go._ "

The boy paused, dropped him (Iori felt his skull hit the pillow with a mind numbing thud) and stepped back from the bed. He stood over him and continued to stutter.

"… _uh…but... wait-"_

"No, _you_ wait…" Iori lurched over (careful not to stretch his obliques) to snatch his cellphone off the bedside table. When he turned it on, the fluorescent screen blinded him, so he tossed it away and turned his neck to glare at Rock. He felt sour and cranky and honestly wanted to be left alone. He brought both hands up to forehead and scrunched up his nose before grumbling his inquiry.

"What...What day is it?"

Rock made a strange noise and looked hesitant to answer. His attitude rapidly shifted from aggressiveness to timidity. Iori glared at him until he opened his mouth to reply. At that moment, three suited bodyguards came barreling through the doorway, bringing the occupancy of Iori's bedroom to five. That was 4 people too many.

 _Oh for fuck's sake..._

They also began making noise, and Iori felt Riot stirring in his guts. Damn, even Riot was pissed off at these guys… _Chill man._

 _("Sir! We're sorry to disturb you, uh we'll take your… employee, with us right away! Please follow us, sir! Hey!")_

Rock didn't seem to care that Iori was now listening to two different conversations in two different languages, with a brain soaking in sleeping medication - and decided to continue talking. Iori watched as the bodyguards tried to grab Rock by the arm, and drag him away as gently as possible, but were thwarted by the boy's excessive elbowing and slipperiness. The scene was stupid, and ridiculous and it filled Iori with the overwhelming desire to strangle someone - if not only to get some peace and quiet.

"Boss, It's only 11:30 and-" Rock whirled to shout at the bodyguards, " _Gah! Get off me! Leave me alone! I told you that this is important, didn't I? Seriously! What's your problem!"_

 _("Please come with us, Kid. We know you're very attached to him, but the heir needs some rest, okay? Come on… ")_

"Boss! Tell them to leave! This is important, I'll only be like ten minutes, alright?"

Rock stared expectantly at him. He had this look of desperation and betrayal on his face, as one of the guards grabbed him beneath the arms and attempted to pull him backwards through the doorway. Iori squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his nose. He checked his phone again. How long had he slept?

 _Thursday, 11:30 AM._

He'd slept ten minutes.

 _Ten fucking minutes?! Are you kidding me?_

Rock Howard, that little shit… the kid was normally super good about not bothering him for stupid stuff… so the fact he had decided to be _this_ inconsiderate spoke volumes all on it's own. If Rock got kicked out now, he would probably come climbing in through the window as soon as the guards let him out of their sight…

… _better handle it now…_

Iori hissed, tossed his head back, and attempted a hollar. He winced as his lungs filled with air and pressed against his ...ribs? _(Wait… did they take out my rib?)._ Even so, he powered through the pain, and the result was something between a nasal honk and a painful cough. It was a bit pathetic, but it got the job done.

("Let him go! All of you leave!")

Rock, who had dug his heels into the hardwood floors and whose flailing legs were slowly being pulled out of sight, was released - and stumbled, gasping back into the room. Upon shaking himself free, he brushed himself off and looked to Iori with this annoying puppyish light in his eyes. Iori continued to glare at him until he stopped looking victorious. A bodyguard stuck his head through the doorway and tried to apologize.

 _("... ah...We're very sorry, sir… we-")_

("Just be quiet! Get out!")

 _("Right away sir… if you insist… um, should we bring a bed in for the boy?")_

Iori furrowed his brow. He looked at Rock, then back at the bodyguard - who was earnestly doing his best to keep his face stiff. He was wearing that stern, pained expression of someone desperately trying not to smile. Iori narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure what was being insinuated - but was certain it wasn't important. He put on a snarl and emitted the most intimidating nasal honk he could manage.

("No. Go away.")

 _("Of course sir… uh, there's … 'equipment' in the dresser's top drawer. Please enjoy yourselves.")_

The guard pointed at the dresser, gave both of them a stiff nod, then firmly closed the door and disappeared. Iori frowned at his receding footsteps. He switched to English to portray his confusion.

"What the fuck."

Rock, clearly relieved the guards were gone, trotted over to him with his puppy-face. Iori didn't even bother sitting up to address his employee. Instead, he reached up and lay a wrist across his forehead, bared his teeth and hissed unhappily into the gloom.

"Alright, firstly, fuck you Howard. You're lucky I didn't vomit all over you while you were trying to break my neck. What the absolute fuck."

"Oh, sorry boss." Rock didn't sound even a bit sorry. "I needed to talk to you."

Iori rolled his eyes.

"Yeah! I fucking figured… _(cough)_ , fine. Make it quick. Whaddya want, and don't give me the college essay version, give me bullet points. I don't have enough brain power right now to process your life's story."

Iori shut his eyes and tried to focus as Rock began to explain this supposedly dire situation. Honestly, if Rock felt his issue was important enough to cause this much trouble to have it addressed, Iori would give him the time of day. He just hoped that Rock would keep it simple for him.

Thankfully he did.

"Boss, there's this girl. She's about to lose everything she's ever had because of me. Shipyard. Shanghai-"

"Your IKARI stalker?"

Rock probably nodded enthusiastically. Iori didn't bother raising his eyes to check.

"Yeah! If she doesn't get her sight back, IKARI is going to abandon her. Wipe her memories - throw her away. I can't let that happen. She was there for me. I've gotta be there for her!"

Rock finished with a note of finality. Iori frowned deeply and felt confusion and anger pooling in his head. He snarled.

" _Right! That's very nice!_ Please don't tell me you woke me up to declare your love for some chick! Goddamn, Howard! Even if you were declaring your love for _me_ , I'd still be mad! What the fuck! Go call your dad about it!"

Iori huffed and rolled over, turning his back on Rock. The boy stuttered and quickly began talking again. Iori mashed his face into a pillow and listened.

"Oh, no no no, wait! Boss! C'mon, listen!" Rock began shaking him by the shoulder, and only stopped when Iori flopped back around and resumed staring holes into the boy's forehead.

"She needs to regain her sight! She needs the Kahgora Lady! Can you please call her and ask her to fix Seirah's eyes? I don't know how much time we have, but she needs help ASAP!"

Iori offered another frown. IKARI needed to go through _Rock_ to get Chizuru's help? Really? He was under the impression that Kagura and IKARI got along quite well. Was Rock yanking his chain? _Who even told him this shit…_

"IKARI can just call Kagura themselves. Isn't that what I told you before? Let them handle it. They and Kagura have this whole political mumbo-jumbo between them, but they'll eventually figure it out. Your stalker will be okay… now go away."

Rock began to whine angrily. He wrung his hands, and was obviously becoming frustrated with the situation. Iori observed him with a faraway look in his eye.

" _What!?_ No! If Clark could get this done without my help, he would never have called me! I-I don't know what's going on with Kahgora and IKARI, but Seirah needs help now! Just make this call, _please_!"

His plea fell on deaf ears. Iori waved him away and replied languidly.

"They're just using you, Howard. They want free shit and wanna use you as a fee waiver. Don't be a tool, and chill. You'll pop a vein."

Rock chewed on his lip. His eyes blazed and Iori could see the gears turning in his head. Clearly, he was thinking of the most persuasive argument he could lay hold of to get what he wanted. Honestly, Iori didn't have any serious problem doing what Rock asked. It'd be easier if he hadn't messed up $KP's earnings call this morning, but Kagura was an easy woman to butter up. A single bank loan and she'd be happy… it was just a matter of Rock's resolve. Because if Rock didn't _really_ want it - Iori wasn't going to bother doing it for him.

The room was silent. Rock stood over him quite menacingly, and fidgeted as he wracked his brain. Iori tried to sit up, but failed. _Somehow_ he felt even worse than when he first got out of surgery. The combination of the teacup attack, and getting shaken down by Rock Howard _was definitely_ not good for recovery.

Rock finally started speaking, and Iori gave him his attention. The teenager's tone was serious, dark and rather stern. Kid was really throwing his backbone into this. _Good for him._

"Look, Iori… I don't really care if they're using me or not. I just need to help her. Seirah… she's… well, I don't know if I _love_ her - but she's become someone important to me. She's… she's one of ' _my people_ ' - to use your language…do you get it? She's in trouble, and I'm gonna do whatever I need to do to help her. Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay."

Rock blinked. Perhaps he had been expecting resistance, or was surprised at how quickly Iori answered, because he prodded further.

"So… Can you do it? I'll give you whatever you want. I mean… I don't know if you want anything from me… but if Ms. Kahgora want you to pay for it, just take it out of my paycheck. Um…"

"No. I don't need your stuff. Help me up."

Rock sucked on his lip and looked at him suspiciously. Iori just deadpanned at him. if anyone in the world knew how to be obsessive, it was definatly Iori Yagami. He wasn't nescessarily trying to encourage that behavior in his employee (at this moment, he wasn't even sure if Rock was being obessive at all) but he completely understood the feeling of wanting to pool your resources to protect somebody. Rock didn't really need to explain himself, because Iori didn't really care about the reasoning behind his actions. After all, reasoning wasn't really Iori's strong suit anyways. He yawned again and motioned to Rock.

"Hey, Hurry up. I'm gonna do this and go back to sleep. Don't you need to sleep too? Weren't you up all night chatting with mini-Riot?"

Rock ignored the second part of his sentence to joyfully respond to the first part. He dialed his excitement up to eleven, and Iori groaned at him.

"... Oh, _really_? You'll seriously do it? Oh man… _thanks Boss!_ "

"Stop that. Help me up."

Rock was grinning when he grabbed Iori's outstretched arm and hauled him to a sitting position. Iori observed him stand there and sort of tremble in happiness. He snorted. _'Not sure if you love her, huh?'_

Iori yawned as he grabbed his phone and dialed the third elder. He decided to explain what he was going to do, so Rock didn't shake him awake in half an hour to ask him about it. Rock (annoyingly) had taken a seat at the foot of the bed and nodded enthusiastically to whatever he said.

"Right… so we pissed her off this morning, so I'm gonna find out what banks are holding KP debt - and get them to reduce her interest rate or something… once she's happy I'll set up dinner - and you get ask her whatever you want. She'll do it. Sound good?"

" _Thanks Boss!"_

"You probably want to ask her about your Riot too. That's important."

"My… Oh, okay."

"Also go over there and look in the top drawer." He nodded at the dresser. "The guards said there's some equipment there. See if there's a pen and notepad and get it for me."

Rock trotted over to the dresser and did as he was told. Iori sighed as the phone began to ring, and he was patched through the Third Elder's secretary. Although the Fourth was his favorite - and the chief strategist, the Third had authority over the Clan's financial connections. He'd know how to get this done... Iori needed to wri-

"Howard! My notepad!"

"Boss, uh - there's no paper here..."

"... What? What's in there then?"

Rock sounded hesitant and his voice was small. Iori glared at him until he cracked and responded.

"Um… _it's condoms._ "

"..."

"..."

 _"...What?!"_

* * *

 _Oxo_

 _It's just gonna be a running joke. Deal with it._

 _Yag Accusing Rock of being a Tool. Boi, u the biggest tool out there. you like a freaking CAT digger._

 _He knows Chiz still loves him even when he's being terrible and shitty. Thanks devilmom_


	101. Peace Offering

_ALRIGGHT GUYS_

 _TIME TO LEARN SOME BANKING TERMS_

* * *

Chizuru Kagura watched, with tears in her eyes, as the emails went out to all the Earnings call's participants and largest investors about the supposed 'technological malfunction' and 'Earnings call reschedule'. $KP was essentially the _entirety_ of the global pharmaceutical industry, and had boasted competence, timeliness and prudence in nearly everything it did. This was the very first time since $KP went public that they had screwed up an earnings call. For KP - it was a shocking event, and stocks plummeted accordingly.

 _Haaah… Gammy you little shit… I should have slapped you twice…_

It didn't make it any better that KP was about to report lower than expected earnings. The sudden drop, plus the lackluster results were going to put her company into a hole. Low stock price was going to make her employees with stock options angry. It was going to make her investors angry. It was going to piss off the people who bought her bonds. It was going to make her variable equity lines either reduce facility, or raise interest. It was a can of worms, and Chizuru Kagura couldn't do a thing about it.

 _That bastard Nikaido is holding puts too… dammit! Why does he always make money when I'm crashing? Does he have something against me?!_

Chizuru slumped in her chair and - once checking to make sure the hallway was empty, and nobody could see her - lay her forehead on her desk, and emitted a long groan. She shut her eyes, gritted her teeth and - with a pulse of cold power - sent a shockwave through her desk - cracking the reinforced glass into a spiderweb pattern. It didn't make her feel any better (violence never really did, anyways) but at least she felt some _thing_ was sharing her pain. She glared at her desk and imagined it to be as miserable as she was, _This damn earni-_

 _*Brrrrr*_

Chizuru flinched as her secretary phoned in. She rolled her eyes and picked up.

"What now, Colli-... I mean..."

 _*Kanzuki, Karen, Madame - It's Japan Industrial Bank Conglomerate on the line. They want to… uh, extend your equity line.*_

Chizuru Kagura blinked a couple of times. There was a moment of silence.

"...What? _Extend?_ "

 _*... yes ma'am. That's… what the representative was saying. They are also reducing the interest rate to… 1% for the next year. They forwarded us documents for signing to repaper the loan. Should I send it through?*_

"... Send it through, Kanzuki."

 _*Right away. Ma'am.*_

Chizuru frowned. Was this… Secretary Kanzuki screwing with her? Why the hell would Japan's biggest bank suddenly offer to lend her money for _almost free_ while her stocks were plummeting? Her bonds were paying at least 6%... _no way…_

 _*tzzt… tzzt… tzzt...*_

Her printer received the forwarded fax - and spat out fifteen pages of business loan documents. She snatched it up, set it down, and began reading carefully.

… _1%... doubled my facility… what's the catch? No way… Am… I dreaming?_

Chizuru read slowly, digesting every sentence of the legal-ese and searching for that one line that was trying to trick her, or make her sign over ownership of $KP, or… something similarly unsavory. Yet, by the time she reached the end of the document, she couldn't find it. It was only fifteen pages. It was a simple re-papering. Nothing more…

She flipped to the last page - which seemed to have been added extraneously. There was a sticky-note scanned into the page - and upon it, some barely legible chicken-scratch. Chizuru squinted at it, then snorted.

 _You little shit._

She breathed out a relieved laugh… because she knew that chicken-scratch. She held it before her, and leaned back in her chair, reading it again.

 _Kagura. Peace Offering._

 _Buy me Dinner. Need to chat._

 _Pls Call._

 _-Iori Yagami_

She grinned at it, shook her head - and made a snatch for her cellphone.

* * *

 _Short word count for Economics lesson._

 _The equity line Chiz is dealing with is called an LAL - Liquidity access line. This is a loan based off of Equity investments. SO like you have a HELOC, that's Bank lending you money based on the value of your house. So if you house is valued at 1M - the bank may lend you 800k at a 5% int rate. However, if half your house burns down, suddenly it's only worth 500k - the Bank aint gonna lend you 800k anymore. they may lower your Max limit (called Facility) to 400k, and maybe raise your rate because it's more risky for the bank to lend to you!_

 _Same thing for stocks. If I have 1000 Shares of $KP, and each are worth 100 dollars - I have a Total equity of $100,000 - Bank may look at that, and lend me 80k with my $KP shares as collateral. However, what if $KP shares tank, and suddenly, they're worth 60$ each? Now - suddenly, my facility will be lowered to - like 40k, and my interest may increase._

 _So Chiz was expecting the opposite from her Bank. She expected them to lower Facility and raise interest. Instead they did the opposite - with some prodding by Yakuza. Thanks Yag._

In this world, KP is actually pretty profitable, but they are highly leveraged, and constantly need to have a lot of money to do R&D. As a result, they are always borrowing money and turning profits without really holding that much reserve. That's why Loans are so imprtant to her.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk


	102. Dinner Date with the Devil

_Chizuru Kagura blabbers a whole bunch of nonsense._

 _This happens Concurrently with "my American Boyfriend"_

 _lmao, but I'm not talking about Brian in this chap. you gotta go over there to read it._

 _(hope it's not too inconsistant :0. time and place and chars are the same. I didn't really go re-read the other fic before writing this GG)_

* * *

5:00 in the evening, and Rock Howard found himself once again, in a restaurant, sitting at a table with people he didn't know - speaking a language he didn't understand.

The first time it had happened, it had been incredibly uncomfortable. He always felt the pressure to fit in (he was a teenager, after all) and the situation made that nearly impossible. From any bystander's point of view, it was very clear that Rock was just smiling and nodding into thin air, and was being completely left out of the conversation.

However, as time went on - he became desensitized to it. He had no issue whatsoever sitting next to his wildly gesticulating employer, and quietly digging into his calamari stew. He _knew_ why they were here, and _knew_ he would get his turn to speak. He desperately prayed Chizuru spoke English (since Iori was a spotty translator) but either way, he figured everything was going to be alright. The fight was over. He was just running a victory lap.

It was also pretty entertaining watching his normally oh-so-scary boss getting ribbed mercilessly by his dinner-mates: Kyo Kusanagi, and Chizuru Kagura.

 _Oh man… Kyo is kinda weird… and Chizuru… is she pretending not to be mad?_

Given what Rock had seen of these two, their current behavior was entirely unexplainable. He had never met Kyo Kusanagi before, but he gave off this bold, robust, and somehow dangerous air. He was like a cannonball, and Rock decided it was best not to interact with him outside of general greeting lest he find himself crushed. The most recent news Rock had seen of him was several years back - during that incident where he and Iori had nearly murdered each other during a KOF tournament. It was _very_ strange to see the two, rather famous, mortal enemies getting along rather well.

 _I… I guess they didn't try to kill each other in the other KOF tournaments? I dunno…_

In either case, Rock wasn't going to talk to Kyo anymore, and it seemed that Kyo had no interest in him either. He was currently grinning like a maniac and mocking Iori about _something_ whilst his eyebrows wandered around his forehead. With the way Iori's eyes were bulging out of his head, it looked like they were about to go beat each other up.

… _I hope Boss remembers he's injured…_

Chizuru was no different. She spent the entire time laughing along, and smiling her sweet smile - but after this morning's nasty display of two-facedness, Rock couldn't help but feel suspicious of her. Clearly, she had nearly perfect control of what emotions she showed, and could very possibly be hiding evil intent behind her mask of kindness.

… and _she_ was the person Rock was to procure his favor from. Ever since she sat down, she had done nothing but enjoy the banter and - once - demand to be _lit on fire (holy hell)._ Other than that, she emitted that same glacial peacefulness she had shown in the conference room. She appeared easy to talk to, and it seemed Iori may have given her a bit of a preface of what Rock was going to ask her about, because she occasionally glanced at him, and smiled with her small, white teeth. Although she was a beautiful woman, something about her was just _unsettling_.

 _Chill Rocky… phew… you only need to deal with her once…_

Iori stabbed his steak knife into the table and half stood to shout at the man sitting across from him. Kyo Kusanagi couldn't look _less_ intimidated as he sat there with a mischievous grin on his face, and his mobile eyebrows bouncing up and down on his forehead.

 _*Stab*_

 _("No! I told you! He's just an employee - dammit Kusanagi. Get your head out of the gutter!")_

 _("Honestly, he looks like your boy toy. He's blond, naive, honestly he's pretty cu-")_

 _("My boy to-... Shut the fuck up. That's disgusting and Fuck you!")_

 _("Nah man, isn't that what he's here for?")_

Rock hadn't actually seen a person froth at the mouth before. But then again, it was an inevitability when he took a job with Iori Yagami. He watched with a jaded look in his eye as the official head of the Japanese Yakuza, and the person who signed his paychecks lost all his marbles and lunged across the table to tackle Kyo Kusanagi to the floor. Obviously, Kyo Kusanagi was a bit surprised as well, and was attempting to slither his way out of a confrontation. It was clear he didn't really want to fistfight a person who - for all intents and purposes - should have been in a hospital.

 _("Dude! Chill or Chiz is gonna haveta slice you open again-ack!")_

 _("I'm going to eat your liver!")_

The two men went to sort out their differences on the crowded sidewalk, leaving Rock alone with Chizuru Kagura. She had been peacefully sipping her tea, and seemed to be living in an entirely different dimension from the two crazies lighting each other on fire outside. Thankfully, the walls of the restaurant were thick and airtight enough to block the noise from the street - and the table enjoyed a relative silence.

Now that the two noisy disturbances had left, Rock could look around and really appreciate the venue. It was a lovely place on the top floor of a 30 storey building, traditional American seafood (Rock found it a bit funny they were in Japan, eating American food) and wonderfully decored. Almost every other table was dressed extremely well, except for their table. Iori was wearing his usual ensemble. Kyo was in a t-shirt. Chizuru had walked in wearing her work clothes - and soaking in what smelled like… _garbage juice_ (A burst of Kusanagi flame took care of it).

Rock had read the signs, that is, Iori declaring ' _Kagura said she'll treat us to dinner at five. Come on, let's go'_ and deduced it was going to be somewhere high-class and expensive. He had decided to come in the three piece suit Shermie had bought for him, and was quite proud when he walked into the restaurant and found himself up to dress code.

Unfortunately, he was painfully overdressed for _this_ table, and ultimately felt embarrassed about his attire regardless.

 _I just can't win… haah… okay, Rocky, she's looking at you… phew, you got this..._

Chizuru had been watching Kyo and Iori snap and shove at each other until they turned a corner with a small smile on her face. After a moment, she turned to him, and the softness in her eyes went as hard as diamonds. She addressed him sternly and with a slight English accent. She had been in ' _leisure mode'_ for a bit, and suddenly dropped into ' _Work Mode'._ It was a bit startling, and Rock felt himself flinch straight.

"Mr. Howard. How does the food agree with you?"

Rock found himself speaking stiffly.

"It's very good Ms. Kahgora. Thank you."

She blinked at him, offered a pained smile, and began to push aside some of the plates and cutlery to clear a space in front of her. She pulled out a notepad, a pen, and two cellphones - and laid them all on the table. When she looked back up, she was… not unfriendly, but cold and very serious.

"That's very good to hear… now, I have a few things to discuss with you. I am going to ask you several questions. Answer them to the best of your ability. Feel free to interrupt me at any time."

"Uh," Rock blinked. He was under the impression he was just going to ask Chizuru for Whip's medical treatment, and that would be the extent of their interaction. Why would she be interested in him? He answered a bit nervously.

"... um, Sure."

"Do you have knowledge of an entity called ' _Orochi'?_ As far as you know, has anybody in your… biological pedigree mentioned, or otherwise dabbled with such an entity?"

Rock frowned. He didn't know how to answer this question. His mother had never talked about anything like this, and his… _that Bastard Geese…_ Rock had only met briefly. There was no way he would have known what _that man_ was up to. What kind of question was this?! Was the woman just trying to make him uncomfortable for the sake of things? _How the hell am I suppo-_

"I see. In that case, there is no need to answer. Instead, allow me to explain."

… _huh?_

Chizuru Kagura smoothed her hair back, and met his gaze evenly - banishing all of the venomous anger that had been rising up his throat as he was forced to think about his hated pedigree. She sighed at him and propped her chin against the back of her hand. Her demeanor was melancholy. She spoke slowly.

"You've spent the past… two months now, in the company of Iori Yagami, so surely you've seen the effects of Orochi on him. Sometimes he talks to himself. Oftentimes he grows excessively violent. My dear, have you recently heard any voices? Or otherwise find yourself enjoying… _fighting_ more than usual?"

Rock frowned deeply and stared at his lap. He didn't remember very well what was going on in his head in the shipyard and in the alleyway, but he did recall blaming it on Geese's blood. Perhaps… _perhaps that bastard tried to get stronger by making a pact with a devil? I wouldn't put it below him..._

Chizuru observed him carefully as she spoke.

"... If so, then - one way or another, somebody made a deal with god."

"... huh? _god?_ Does god do deals?"

Rock had to interrupt. This was sounding like some crazy conspiracy theory. But then again, this afternoon, Iori had yanked a _glowing jewel_ out of his own chest. Rock continued.

 _"_ What do you mean, god… are you saying this evil Orochi demon is god? … And why would god try and kill me? I thought… "

Chizuru waved the question away and continued on her train of thought.

"Orochi's body is the earth, where you draw your power. Within you resides a small shard of his consciousness. Mind and body together means strength and intelligence. _Someone_ made a deal, and as a result your own strength would have grown tremendously in the past few weeks. The problem was exacerbated because you've been hanging around Iori so much..."

She said it matter-o-factly, as if she didn't even need his confirmation for her theory. Rock slowly digested what she said, and blanched. This morning's seizure was caused by Iori? _No wonder he wanted me to quit!_

"Wait, Ms. Kahgora. The thing that happened to me this morning, that was Boss's fault? Seriously?!"

Rock felt himself grow indignant. _Shit! Is it going to happen again because of him? No way…_

Chizuru frowned at him. Her voice was stern and protective.

" _His_ fault? No. You had Orochi's blood before you ever knew him. In fact, if he didn't care about you as much as he does, you would likely have died in my hospital this morning."

Rock pursed his lips and stared at the table, regretful about his outburst. After a moment of silence, the woman continued. There was a twinge of pride in her voice.

"...In any case, thanks to me, none of this is an issue anymore. I've sealed away the bit of consciousness within you - and - unless you make a deal with Orochi on your own, you won't suffer the Riot again…Lucky boy."

Chizuru nodded and poured herself another cup of tea. Rock took advantage of the silence to ask for clarification. He furrowed his brow in disbelief.

"So… wait, so that's it? You fixed me? But… but the power feels the same! It still stings, and… and it still feel it's kind of…"

 _"Enjoyable?"_

Rock nodded sheepishly. Chizuru was focused on her tea.

"I'm sorry, young man… but that's all _you_. Perhaps you're not quite the angel you thought you were. The sting comes from your blood. Don't worry about it."

"...oh. Okay... Um..."

Rock grimaced then shook his head. This wasn't what he was here for. It was great that Chizuru had fixed him, but he was here to get her to fix Whip. He tried to smoothly pivot the conversation, but ended up skidding it into the railing instead.

"Okay. Thanks, by the way… I'm not sure what Iori told you, but I really need some help…"

Chizuru didn't even lift her eyes to acknowledge him. Rock swallowed hard, and after a moment of introspection, decided to continue speaking. If he remained passive about this, he wouldn't get anything done.

He blurted into the silence.

"My friend was recently blinded… like, only three days ago. Could you… fix her? Iori told me you can do almost anything, so…"

There was a long pause, and Rock felt his palms begin to sweat. Chizuru finished her cup of tea and put it down with a clack. She gave Rock a long, piercing stare before she finally spoke. Her voice was terse.

"Who."

"Um… her name is Seirah, she's my… girlfriend. She got into an accident a coupl-"

" _IKARI?_ "

Venom in her voice. The hardness in her eyes became pits, and the lines on her face spelled hate. The change was so startling that Rock didn't dare utter another word. Suddenly, he wished Iori would come back and handle this woman for him, because she was _scary_. _Dammit! Shit! Man up Rocky…_

" _IKARI sent you, didn't they?!"_

She turned her ire upon him. Rock shrunk back in his chair, averted his eyes, and began a stuttering defense. Chizuru was glaring at him. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was very clearly unhappy. Obviously, Chizuru Kagura _did not_ get along with IKARI. Rock didn't know what kind of history this woman had with Seirah's organization - but it was clearly a sore spot for the Pharmaceuticals mogul.

"N-no ma'am! I… I met Seirah on tour, and after she got hurt, Clark told me t-"

"I won't lift a finger for them."

Chizuru snapped at him, and sneered at him like a disdainful deity. Her gaze was scorchingly dismissive. She made it very clear what she thought of this particular request.

 _Ohh no…_

Rock was shocked and despaired. Things weren't supposed to be like this. At least, it wasn't how Iori said it would be. But then again, Iori had claimed Kagura and IKARI got along - when they obviously didn't. _What else was he wrong about?!... oh man…what now?_

There was… really nothing to do but beg. If there was even a slim chance that Whip could get fixed, then Rock was going to swallow his pride and do _everything_ he could to fight for it. He opened his mouth and desperately began to give reasons, excuses, _anything._ Chizuru busied herself stashing her papers and notebooks in her briefcase, and didn't so much as glance at him.

" _Wait!_ Wait, please! IKARI is just Seirah's side job! I don't know what you have against them, but _please._ If she doesn't get her sight back, they're gonna throw her in foster care, and wipe her memories, and... " Chizuru stood up with the clear intention of leaving. "Ms. Kahgora, wait! Iori… he said you'd do it! That's what all of this was for! _Come on..._ "

Chizuru whirled around to glare at him. Her appearance was wroth.

" _All this_? What does ' _all this'_ mean?"

Rock hesitated - not knowing what answer he should give. His brain was spinning at a million miles an hour, and he felt his vision tremble as the stress wracked through him. He met Chizuru's gaze, then quickly averted his eyes. It was like peering down the barrel of a gun. _Shit… say something Rocky._

"... Boss… he did… the bank stuff, and dinner all because I asked him to. It's the only reason we're here... He said you'd help me for his sake… I feel really bad about what happened to Seirah - she got hurt because she came to help me... _please fix her._ "

Chizuru closed her eyes and exhaled hard through her nose. After a moment, she turned, placed her briefcase back on the floor, and took her seat at the table. She pressed both palms against her forehead and sighed deeply. She sounded … almost defeated.

It was a long moment before she spoke. When she finally gave utterance, the anger had fled her voice. Her cadence was once again, slow, calm and serious.

"Rock Howard… you don't understand _quite_ how lucky you are… I don't know why Yagami has fixed his benevolence on you, but until the day he dies, you'll sail smoothly in whatever you do."

Rock furrowed his brow and sat back into his chair. He didn't know what to make of this situation, but… at least Chizuru wasn't walking out of the restaurant anymore. _That's good… I mean… ugh…_

Chizuru looked up and pierced through him with her stare.

"When you're in trouble, when you're in danger, go find him - because he will kill, and he will die for your sake. You can punch him all you like. You can yell at him. You can insult him to his face. You can steal his stuff. You can ignore and avoid him!… But one thing - a warning… _Never, never_ betray him. Don't sell him out. Don't conspire against him. Don't even think about it…"

Chizuru leaned in close as if telling a secret. Her voice was cold and deadly.

"...Because if you do - rather, if he _thinks_ you did… he won't ask questions. He won't investigate. If you scorn him, he will _destroy_ you... He w _ill_ kill you… and your family, and your friends, and their families. Do you understand me? _Benevolence_ merits _Loyalty._ Right now, you're enjoying the benevolence - you had better pay your dues."

Rock stared at Chizuru with wide eyes. Suddenly, he felt a great burden weighed upon him. Had he been walking a wire without knowing it? Iori was a psycho. He saw things that nobody else did. What if he just hallucinated himself a betrayal and murdered every-

" _..._ And I'm paying my dues as well. IKARI has hurt me in many, many ways… but for his sake, and for yours, I will fix your girl… _now…_ "

There was noise from the front door as Iori and Kyo Kusanagi barged their way back into the restaurant - rapidly chattering Japanese at each other. Rock watched as Chizuru, with one last sigh, sat straight. Her face suddenly became friendly, and teasing - it was deeply unsettling - as if she had put on a mask. She warned Rock through gritted teeth.

" _Not a word to the hellhound."_

* * *

 _Chizuru Kagura, the Mastermind, advising Rock Howard not to betray or otherwise plot against Iori Yagami._

 _oof._

 _That's on the level of Iori telling Rock not to be a tool, and Kyo advising against being a troll._

 _Big hypocrite!_

 _Random Orochi Lore thrown in there - had ot write it somewhere._

 _I'm thinking... ending at 120 would be really nice cause I had a summary at ch 60. I dunno._

 _Wonder if I'll need to write another summary at the end/ hmm... Does that defeat the purpose of actually writing chapters?_

 _whatever._


	103. Shanghai's Battle Dog

_Sheeen Woooo is back baybeee_

 _Ayyyy_

 _careful brocky_

* * *

"Please sir, I'll pay you whatever you like, I just need a single job! Whatever you want I can get it for you, but-"

Shen Woo yawned loudly and continued sauntering down the streets of his city. He followed the path he always took. Morning, he'd head to the fish market, then to his lunch spot, then in a long loop around the city… in the evenings, if he felt like it (and he usually did), he found himself in a fight-cage surrounded by screaming gamblers.

But… for some reason, today he _just wasn't feeling it._

It was eight in the evening, and the sun was on it's way down over the horizon. June was _hot_ in Shanghai, and Shen Woo found himself shirtless and pacing back and forth across a bridge. The waft of flowing ocean water cooled the air around him, and he passed the time happily munching on his daily crab leg.

 _They're good today…_

The restaurant he lived above specialized in Shen Woo's favorite - and rather pricey - delicacy. The owner regularly fed him crabs in exchange for battling off any Mafia who came around to demand 'protection money', claiming it was a much cheaper alternative. Shen Woo was quite happy with the arrangement, since he liked crabs, and he liked fighting, and-

"Sir! How much! I'll pay you whatever you want! I need it done quickly, and messily! It's a strong opponent because he's being covered by the Japanese Yakuza and-"

Shen Woo whipped around to snarl at the fat, bespeckled man tailing him. He was short, pudgy and was sweating profusely Shanghai's humidity. He had that look of dogged persistence that wasn't so easy to shake. Shen woo shouted at him.

"Go away! "

The man didn't go away. Shen Woo had half a mind to punch him, but decided against it. It wouldn't be any fun. This fat guy couldn't fight back. Not one bit. It'd just be a waste of time and energy… _ugh… boring._

Shen Woo had tasted excitement. He and Iori Yagami had fought quite brutally, but even so - both had held back… because this was a sparring exercise. They were ' _allies'_. There was no malice, and as a result, no seriousness either. A poke here, A jab there. Predict. Punch. _Nothing._ Even when Shen Woo had planted heavy blows against the other man's ribcage, and Iori had nearly knocked the molars right out of Shen Woo's mouth - they both knew this was just _playtime._

… _I want to fight him…_

Because Shen Woo was Shanghai's mad dog. Wild-eyed and itching for battle. When he saw an overwhelmingly strong opponent, he didn't tuck his tail and slink away - like all the ' _sane'_ dogs out there. No… when he saw a monster, he wanted to _kill_ it.

Athena had escaped him. She was an immensely powerful being who - for all intents and purposes - was a goddess walking the earth. She wouldn't even glance at him, and he had no way to catch her. He had hounded her, followed her about, called to her, begged her - to no avail. She wouldn't fight him. Athena Asimaya, the goddess, was a faraway dream for the Battle God…

 _One day…_

Iori Yagami, however… _Iori_ had taken him on. He rolled up his sleeves and had no problem getting down and dirty. They had fought for hours. Shen Woo's wild boxing against Iori Yagami's surgical, telegraphed style. The red-haired man fought like he had done nothing but fight his entire life. He treated it like dancing. Calculated. Mathematical. Planned out. It was super effecient, and deadly… and not flashy at all. Quite boring.

… _but there's a devil in his head._

Yet… Shen Woo smelled the scent of power. A sleeping - but overwhelming malice that might burst out at any moment, and consume whoever it laid eyes on. There was a creature quietly slithering underneath the man's skin. Shen Woo had fought, and (with significantly difficulty) beaten Iori's human facade. They had a friendly bout (perhaps a little more friendly than either had anticipated) and that was it. Yet… Shen Woo wasn't done yet. He had seen the dark wildness in the man's eyes - and he wanted to _crush it._

He wanted to slay that monster. He wanted to stand over it's trembling form and howl his victory. He wanted to hear it beg for it's life. He wanted to watch it shrink in fear… then he'd tear out it's beating heart and-

 _Calm down… phew…_

Shen Woo crunched into the remainder of his Shanghai Crab snack, and tossed the shell over the side of the bridge. It hit the water with a plop, and floated downstream, a speck of bright orange in the dark water. He shook his head and did his best to clear his thoughts. The streetlamps had turned on and their reflections were shining off the water like little bursts of writhing flame-

 _Damn…_

It was stuck in his mind.

That writhing, exploding flame he had seen that night, which indiscriminately charred people to dust. The terribly dangerous brutality which rent flesh like paper, and cleft bone like twigs. Shen Woo had only parted ways with the band perhaps, eight hours ago, but for those eight hours, that longing thrill had consumed him. Even the underground fighting rings - which he normally enjoyed so much - couldn't subdue that itch. It wasn't enough… Fighting _people_ wasn't enough. He had tasted the power of monsters, and now, he couldn't go back. He was a man possessed.

 _Iori Yagami… I want to be his enemy… I want to crush him… I want to fight him!_

It nearly drove him mad. There were other strong people in Shanghai, but for the most part, they hid themselves. Assassins, gunmen… boring. They were just doing a job. They would never agree to fight him in the street… hardly anyone would. _Should I go to Japan? Mayb-_

"Please! You can take on that Yagami bastard, can't you? He and his Yakuza buddies are gonna show up looking for me, and-"

 _Did he say… Yagami?!_

Shen Woo startled, then whirled and seized the man by the lapels of his shirt. His eyes were wild as he leaned forward and stared at the man, giving him his full attention. It seemed the bespeckled man knew it, and continued his proposition in bold desperation.

"- and most certainly try and kill me. Nobody I ask will risk taking on Iori Yagami, no matter how much I offer to pay them. You're my last shot, I don't even need _him_ dead… just the boy! Name your price!"

Shen Woo just stared. His voice was disbelieving. A grin crept over his face.

"He's… he's coming here?"

The Man nodded.

"He wants to kill you…"

Another nod. Shen Woo felt power shooting within him, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. It trembled and swelled and that maddening itch returned in full force.

"So… so I can fight him... If I work with you, he'll be my enemy… _and I can crush him..._ "

The man nodded again - the look of triumph in his eyes. He simultaneously appeared both relieved and victorious.

"... He has an American. If you kill that boy, Yagami will chase _you to the ends of the earth._ You won't even need to search for him anymore… how's that?"

Shen Woo could hardly believe his ears. That would be a dream come true. He didn't need to say anything to convey his excitement. The bespectacled man patted him on the arm and attempted to squirm out of his grasp to no avail. He grinned and sweated and sealed their agreement with an awkward thumbs up.

"Fantastic… _Mr. Yew at your service_."

* * *

Haha u all thought I forgot about the mafia subplot?


	104. Faith and Hope

_Brocky boii pulled through! Eeeeeee_

 _Now he just has a gang war to fight lol_

 _Shen after dat ass_

* * *

"Leona… what are you saying? Is that what the Commander said was going to happen?"

The blue-haired women nodded, then, after realizing her conservant couldn't read her visual signals, opened her mouth and forced several words out.

"... Disposal… yes."

 _"Disposal…"_

Whip's expression crumpled. She had been sitting in the weird-smelling hospital ward for three days now, and undergoing various - increasingly risky - operations with the intention of restoring her sight. All of which have failed. Leona knew that all NESTS clones bore a certain fear of experimentation and invasive medical procedures, simply due to their upbringing. Yet despite her very clear phobia, Whip had agreed to all of it. She had pushed herself through immense trauma for the slimmest chance to remain useful to IKARI.

… _how could the Commander order something like this…?_

Yet Despite all her bravery the verdict was cruel.

Leona had listened in on the "disposal" meeting. The commander had promised they would not kill their former operative, but the alternative solution was nearly as bad. She would have her mind _bleached_ , everything would be erased even at the risk of damaging her brain. Nothing would be left, not her identity, none of her skills, _nothing._ She would be sent across the world and abandoned on the doorstep of an orphanage. Lost, alone, afraid, _blind._

And Leona was a perfect soldier. She had killed, maimed, slaughtered. Even women and children had fallen by her hand… yet she couldn't bear the idea of her closet friend falling so completely from her former glory. It was a shame worse than death.

 _Kagura… this is Kagura's fault… she won't fix Whip…_

It had been 24 hours since the 'disposal' meeting. Clark had bought some more time, claiming some college student employed by Yagami was going to push things through. Leona had scoffed at the notion. Rock Howard? That blubbering, sobbing coward who had done nothing but stare and cry as Whip had her _eyes gouged out? He was going to fix this?!_

Nonsense.

If she wanted something done, she would do it herself. She stared down at the girl (as she was now, she looked like nothing more than an ordinary girl) seated upright on the rickety hospital gurney. Whip I had been treated for several nasty burns and a set of broken ribs, but that was nothing to her. NESTS clones boasted faster than normal healing. The issue was her eyes - or in this case, her lack thereof. There was a long bandage wrapped about her face like a blindfold. Upon it, smears of blood and iodide - remnants from the recent experimental surgery. Leona was no doctor, but from the snippets she had picked up in the hallways - it seemed that this recent operation would be the last one. Medically, IKARI had nothing more to try. Whip had gone from being an immensely talented analyst - a valuable asset to IKARI, to what she was now. A mere liability. An information leak. _Useless. Trash._

Whip knew it. She was far too smart, and new the operations far too well to expect anything different. She was a soldier. She lived for the good of the unit. She knew that she - like everyone else - was ultimately disposable, but never expected to truly be disposed of. The realization was shocking, and the information was enough to crush your spirit.

Leona wouldn't allow it.

It didn't matter if the Commander's reasoning was sound. It didn't matter if Leona's own punishment for defying a direct order might be severe. It didn't matter that she had no plan at all concerning how to proceed after their initial break… all Leona knew, was that this was not right. It could not be allowed. And if nobody was going to prevent it, then she herself would.

She cleared her throat.

"Whip… let's go. Before they come for you..."

The blind girl turned her head as if to look at her. There was a tremor in her voice, yet she put on a brave mask. There was equal parts hope and doubt in her voice.

"... Run… run where? But, but if I get my sight back - there's no need for this, right?"

Leona shook her head - then realized Whip couldn't understand her, and spoke.

"Where will your eyes come from… don't wait. We need distance."

Whip's expression went conflicted, then hardened. She shook her head with finality.

"No... Rock Howard… I'm banking on him. He has my eyes. They'll be here soon. He promised."

Leona frowned hard. She felt Whip was clinging to an empty hope. What could that boy even hope to accomplish? The only woman on Earth who could save Whip was the devil incarnate, Chizuru Kagura. Sometimes she masqueraded as a healing angel, but her true colors were that of a devil woman. She hated IKARI. She would never help Whip, hardly if her life depended on it. What was that boy supposed to do? _Nonsense._

"Nonsense. Come."

Leona reached out and grabbed Whip's arm. She was violently shaken off. Whip's face was full of cold conviction. She spat the words as if she truly believed them. _Does she? She's normally so smart… are the drugs doing something to her brain?_

"No… no, he'll pull through. I know it. Let me be, Leona. The commander has given me everything I ever had, and it's about time I did the same. I won't allow you to go rogue for this."

"We can escape!"

A deep silence between them. Whip sighed and turned as if to look at her. Her voice was melancholy.

"Leo… I have a GPS chip planted into the base of my skull. We can't run. We can't hide. Let me be."

"..."

"..."

"... Leo. Don't worry. I'll see your face again. I know it."

Whip was smiling at her. _How could she smile._ Did she not realize what kind of situation this was? Did she not realize what state she'd be reduced to? It made Leona's stiff heart tremble in rage. It made her teeth chatter, and blood to rush up to her eyes, and her hands wrap into hooked claws, and her blood burn like molten quicksilver. What kind of establishment was this. What kind of horrid beings could enforce such a stringent rules.

 _Kill._

Was such a thing allowable in these times? Didn't Noble soldiers deserve much more than this?

 _Kill them al-_

 _*Bang*_

Leona was startled out of her monologue and quickly turned as the door behind her was slammed open. It was Clark, _beaming_. She was prepared to tear him in two when he exclaimed.

"Seirah! We got it! Your boyfriend pulled through! Kagura just called! There's a spot reserved for you in Orla… _Leo? Are you… oh boy_ "

She was breathing rapidly. Desperately berating herself. _What were you thinking! That's Clark! You can't hurt him! Ugh… no, shhh… control…_

The Colonel's voice went firm and warning.

"Leona… control it…drop the knife."

 _Knife?_

She looked down at her hands. She had instinctively drawn her weapon, and quickly dropped it. The carbon steel blade clattered on the tiles and she took several deep breaths. After a long moment she stood straight and nodded at the Colonel. Her voice was clipped.

"Apologies, sir."

Clark grimaced at her from behind his sunglasses and sighed. After a moment he shrugged and continued - albeit in a much less joyful tone.

"Well, looks like Rocky boy saved us from more than one crises today… we really ought to send him some flowers."

* * *

Gonna take like a couple of weeks to get whip back 100% tho. So just heads up she ain't gonna see any more combAt.

:)

Well we didn't really get to see Orochi leo too much. I wonder how she'll be? Will she be autism like Riot?

Vote


	105. White Lies

_boring transition tldr bottom ty_

* * *

"-oh, nah. Boss is finishing up some stuff here so I can't come back yet. I think we're coming home at the end of the week? Two… three days? Not sure. I'll let you know."

Rock glanced over the peaceful Yagami estates garden and sighed. He was seated on the raised walkway with his legs hanging off the scaffolding. There was a burbling stream running beneath him, and he had taken off his shoes and rolled up his pants sleeves to dip his feet in the running water. Over the phone, his father sounded concerned. Rock thought carefully about how to avoid raising suspicion.

 _*Really? What is it that your loony boss has gotta finish?*_

"... Um… he's just introducing me to some people. Lots of band contacts and stuff… oh, I also met Kyo Kusanagi."

Rock tried to pivot from his lie. They weren't waiting a week, holed up in the Yagami Ancestral estate, to network. They were here because Iori had just gotten shot through the gut and needed to heal in preparation for a gang war. In a couple of days, Iori and his army of bodyguards were going to chase down some rogue Triad operative named 'Yew' - and … _probably slaughter him…_

To be completely honest, although it sounded exciting - Rock Howard wanted nothing to do with it. He had seen enough combat over the past week to last a lifetime. If it had been up to him, he would already be on a plane home to Florida. Of course, Iori forbade him from leaving, claiming that ' _Walking into an airport is pretty much asking to be murdered by those Chinese fucks - stay here until we take care of it… now go away. I'm busy (sleeping).'_

Besides, even though he didn't understand a single word anyone said (aside from his employer, who spent most of his time locked in a room, drugged up and strapped to an oxygen mask) the Yagami estate was flush with opulence. There was wifi, there was a gym, there was a basketball court. He could keep himself occupied for the rest of the week without a problem.

Terry interrupted his thoughts.

 _*Really? You met Kyo? Haha, He's a fun one. He probably tried to practice his English on you, didn't he?*_

"Yeah… _nah,_ honestly I don't think he likes me very much..."

Terry laughed. Rock gave a strained smile as he talked. He didn't feel good about hiding the truth, but honestly - he didn't feel like he could even tell his Dad right now. He would be _so_ disappointed...

 _*Really?... well honestly he's a bit of a troll - so you're not missing much. He's a fun guy, but he comes with a bit of heartache too… if you find raw fish in your underwear - or bullion cubes in your showerhead, you know who paid a visit. Anyways… anything else happen?*_

"Um… nope. Nothing interesting."

What else was he supposed to say. There was no way Rock could come clean with his dad about the incidents that had happened over the last few days. There was too much to explain. The situation was far too complex to do now, and especially not over the phone. For now, he would pull the wool over his father's eyes - at least temporarily.

 _Haah… Sorry Dad… I'll tell you once I get home… maybe…_

Terry continued cheerfully. Rock shut his eyes and felt the itch of guilt tickling the back of his neck as he listened to his father's voice.

 _*Hmm… well, I expected more drama with your boss running around… well, no news is good news, Right Rocky? Hahaha~*_

"Yup. Alright, Dad. Gotta go. Boss is calling me. I don't wanna make him angry."

 _*Really?... Oh, okay then. Hey, if that psycho tries anything, tell me right away - I'll break his other arm… okay?"_

"Okay, Dad."

 _"Sure, Cya bud.*_

Rock hung up, pocketed his phone, and sighed. He looked up past the walkway overhang at the bright, noonday sun and reached up to stretch. What a mess… should he tell Terry? If he did, then surely he'd be mad when… _if_ he found the truth.

 _Maybe… maybe it's best that he didn't know. Honestly, it's not like any of this is gonna affect me in the future, right? I mean, it's not like this is public rec-_

*Slam*

Rock startled and looked up. Iori had 'snuck' up behind him wearing nothing but basketball shorts and carrying a tremendous sandbag over his shoulder. He let it thud down next to Rock as an announcement of his arrival. Truthfully, Iori probably didn't do any sneaking at all. Rock was just too focused on spinning white lies to Terry to notice his surroundings - namely, his employer approaching him from along the raised pathway. The bright red punching bag had leaked its filling in a thin trail along the path, and there was a small team of annoyed maids sweeping up the mess.

"Oy, Howard."

 _Ah crap… did he hear me bullshitting?_

"Whoa… hi Boss. Um," Rock quickly scrambled to his feet and put his shoes back on. He glanced at the punching bag, then at Iori - who after a couple of days of rest - looked quite a bit better than before. He was still walking a bit janky, but otherwise appeared to have recovered from his operation entirely.

"How long have you... been here…?"

Iori gazed at him. His expression was entirely disinterested.

"It's none of my business what you tell your Dad. I don't care if you lie - _just don't lie to me… Okay._ Let's spar."

Iori nudged the sandbag with his foot and it spurted it's stuffing from several finger shaped punctures peppering the canvas.

"This guy's no fun. I need someone to throw punches at me. The fourth keeps bugging me about being fat, and I don't feel like running. You're gonna be my cardio. Let's go."

Iori didn't wait for Rock to agree with him. With a heave, he lifted the sandbag up over his shoulder, and continued his lumbering walk down the pathway. Rock shrugged and trotted up to walk beside him. He was getting used to the eccentricities of his employer, and honestly he needed something to do. Trying to beat up his boss would be sufficiently entertaining.

* * *

"You're awful! You swing like my landlady, and she's seventy-three years old! Holy hell Howard!"

Iori shrieked at him and danced out of range. Despite the fact Iori hadn't struck him _even a single time_ , Rock felt absolutely beat up and humiliated. They had walked into the tatami matted dojo _two hours ago_ and Iori had challenged him to get a clean hit.

 _Oh… oh my God… (huff)… (huff)_

Initially, Rock had been quite reluctant to actually try and attack his employer - even when Iori promised he'd only be on the defensive. However, after about five minutes of Iori mocking and dancing circles around him, Rock opted to go all out. He had even taken out that venomous power to boost his movements and reinforce his strikes - to no avail. Even now, he was blowing holes in the tatami, yet he hadn't even touched the other man, save having his fists caught, his strikes parried, and being countered and shoved into the mat.

"Faster! The hell is wrong with you! You're wide open! Are you asking to get punched in the liver?! Pay attention!"

Rock panted. There was sweat pouring off his face, and his eyesight was beginning to swim. Everything ached and his blood was boiling. He had thrown _everything_ he had at Iori - and the man didn't seem to care at all. He poked Rock's fighting style full of holes. Countered every strike. Exploited every weak spot. It was that _damn_ Instinct that made Iori more of an expert in Rock's home grown style than he was.

 _What the hell is Boss made of… holy crap does he get tired?!_

Rock was startled as Iori ducked in, shoulder checked him, and with a sweep knocked him to the floor. Rock went sprawling on the mat, and gasped for breath. He decided to rest q little before he stood up and had another go.

"Your left hook is trash. Your footwork is sloppy. Get up. I'm the best sparring partner you'll ever have, so you better take advantage of it."

Rock raised his head and glared at the man now standing over him. Iori didn't even look tired. He had his hands on his hips and this pretentious look on his face, and Rock really wanted to punch him in the nose… he'd _really_ been trying.

Iori continued to lecture him.

"Why do you think Kusanagi's a KOF champ, huh? He has no weaknesses." Iori tapped his temple. "I've seived them all out. If you can beat me, you can take anyone _mano-a-mano_... Get up!"

Rock groaned. He was exhausted. He stared up at the vaulted ceiling and let his frustration show clearly in his voice. He realized how pathetic it must look - him shouting at his opponent whist laid flat - but Rock did it anyways. He was tired of this excercise.

"Ughh… _Shit!_ … I'm done! I'm done! Whatever! You win! _Dammit!... Is that what you want to hear?"_

Iori frowned at him. The pretentiousness was gone and his face was a blank slate. He fell out of stance and seemed _just a bit_ disappointed.

"No. I wanted you to land a hit."

"... Well you're a slippery bastard… I dunno how our drummer managed to tag you…"

Rock rolled to his stomach and laboriously climbed to his feet. He brushed off his jeans and went to fetch his t-shirt from the floor. Behind him, Iori rolled his eyes and went to pick up the sandbag. He shrugged and made the admission.

"Don't sweat it, Howard. That drummer guy is strong… hell of a lot stronger than you. If he were here, sparring instead of you, I'd probably be back in the hospital with my stitches busted open."

Rock huffed and followed. That crazy dude was that strong? Although Rock didn't like to think of himself as a… killer, he _had_ taken out several people with machine guns, and Shermie too! He was no lightweight…

 _Nuts. Both of them..._

Rock was no slouch… It's just that Iori was some monster, and apparently, the drummer was too. He sighed and tiredly wiped the sweat from his eyes.

"Whatever… Good thing he's an ally. I mean, you guys seem to get along pretty well."

Iori shrugged.

"Yeah. Good thing."

* * *

 _TLDR:_

 _\- Rocky lying to dad, saying everything ok_

 _\- yag overhears Bec wants some excercise and sparring partner_

 _\- comments that Rick can lie to dad, none of his business, but can't lie to boss._

 _\- spar. Rocky spends 2 hr trying to get a clean hit in. Fail._

 _\- iori tell Rock shenWoo much stronger than he is, and they are both glad the man is an ally_

Incoming Shen v Yag


	106. Stage Set!

_one more exposition chapter to set stage. Next we really start going. Tldr at bottom_

* * *

A dark room. Quiet, pitch black and velvety. The room was sealed so tightly, it seemed that nothing came in or out. The floor smelled damp and musty. The dripping of water echoed from somewhere in the darkness.

A man's hushed voice whispered in the darkness.

 _"...the Yakuza has mobilized. They're going after Yew… They don't suspect the triads at all... seem to be acting on the information you leaked about Yew falling out of ranks… They even notified us of their intention in Shanghai… your plan was a success… "_

A serious voice replied over the line. The tone was jovial.

*Wonderful. That's good news. Haha~ of course it worked, my friend. The family trusts the heir, and the heir trusts Kagura… my meddling has come to fruition… any news on the boy himself? Have you been able to tail him? Will the heir come out to fight?*

A nod into the darkness, then a continued hushed whisper.

" _Yes sir…. H_ e _will be participating. I'm working with Yew… He has recruited Shanghai's War God to fight... That mongrel is our sacrificial lamb. If he doesn't kill Yagami altogether, at the very least, War God will maim him. In any case, he will provide sufficient distraction for Yew to make an example of the American. Whether he lives or dies, the Triad still comes out on top."_

The man over the phone grunted an acknowledgement.

*He chose... Battle God? Is… Isn't that the blond bastard who stirred up trouble with our drug rings a couple of years back?"

 _"Yes, sir. He took out forty men that week. He's lethal as well. About half died from their injuries. We're unsure if he can actually kill Yagami on his own… but Yew has contracted out several notable assassins to help out - including a sniper… working together, I'm sure they can kill the heir."_

*... Yes, yes I recall… Good for him. Yew is a crafty one. He knows he can't get the American before taking his benefactor out of the picture… Even so, Battle God can do the job. I doubt there's anyone that can take that man in a street brawl. You'd have to be a top military operative to even match him. Luckily, our target is a musician and a sportsman… I have high hopes for this hit - even if it's not Yew's primary objective.*

 _"Concerning the American, he will probably be left at the estate without his benefactor. Over the past week, he's become used to following the bodyguards around. With the reduced security, there will be no difficulty for me to throw on a suit and coax him out. Yew has a team on standby, ready to have him carved up and strung out over a bridge. It will be somewhere very public."_

The voice across the line made a pleased noise.

*hmm… very good. What of your cover? It will be blown. You're our only information that managed to sneak into the Yagami household. You're a valuable asset, Jin.*

Jin glanced about, and continued in a low whisper.

 _"Sir...I understand. But there will be no need for spies once Yagami falls. Allow me to serve my role in this."_

*... Haah. Very well… until that day comes, stay diligent and keep an eye on the Yakuza's movements… Although Yew has since fallen out of rank, his victory is our victory. Let us pray for his success*

* * *

(" _The guns, did you get them? We're gonna need vests too! How many people are going to fit in that single helicopter?!")_

( _"All packed up. They're in the copter. I doubt we'll need them anyhow… the heir is here, and several Yagami family fighters are going along. Honestly, we're coming along for information and to spectate.")_

 _("What?! They're gonna have guns too - the family fighters still need vests! What are they gonna go against gunfire?")_

 _("...ohh, you haven't seen the heir in action, huh? Boy, are you in for a surprise…that man acts like an absolute baby, but he's a lot stronger than the top 'Yagami' fighter... you're lucky to see this…")_

Iori Yagami felt the words prick his ears and he turned to holler over the helicopter hanger. He felt a keen satisfaction with his volume. His lungs and air flow were good. His side still hurt, but it wouldn't be a problem with adrenaline and Riot's help. He felt good… he was ready for action. He shouted at the group of smirking bodyguards loading things into the helicopter.

"Who the fuck are you calling a baby!? I'll bodyslam you, you hear me?!"

 _("Apologies, sir!... Are you going to wear sandals to a gang war?")_

"No! Why would I-" Iori looked down and realized he was wearing flip flops. "You got any boots?!"

 _("Here sir… what size?")_

It was early morning, 6 am, and they were set to arrive in Shanghai by seven. He, Cousin and Nephew (Iori never bothered learning their names) were flying out to do assert dominance and chop some people up. Riot was pretty excited about it, and so was he. He had been in such a sick, jittery state this morning he had barely managed to dress himself before running, wild eyed, for the helicopter hanger. He'd been pacing the place for an hour now, waiting for everyone to show up.

 _HAHAHAHA… LET'S PAINT!_

"Riot, chill."

 _("Sir?")_

"You chill too."

Iori tugged on his boots and resumed stalking the hanger. They weren't going anywhere until the 4th Elder stopped sipping his tea and debriefed everyone. Even Rock Howard had woken up with the early morning commotion and was tottering around the room, yawning.

Honestly, Iori was surprised to find the boy awake. He had really run Rock through the paces yesterday. They had sparred until the kid dropped and couldn't get up anymore no matter how much Iori encouraged (shouted) at him.

At least he was getting better. Rock Howard was a musical genius, but it seemed he was a talented fighter as well. After all, he had an impressive pedigree. Over the past two, three days, Iori had knocked him down more times than he could remember, but his footwork had tidied up, and his power flow was getting smoother. To Iori, it was just excercise and prepping for the upcoming battle - if Rock could get something good out of it, than all the better.

"Oy Howard."

Rock tottered over.

"What are you doing here? You look like shit. Go back to sleep."

" _(Yawn)_ what's going on… What's happening?"

"I'm gonna go murder some dumb-fucks. Stay here and chill. Listen to the guards and behave, once I'm done we'll head home. Okay?"

Rock blinked at him. Clearly he wasn't quite awake yet.

"Right… okay Boss."

 _("Guys! Fourth Elder's debriefing! Listen up so we can head out!")_

The call went out over the hanger. The call was a war horn, and the sound stirred his blood. Riot began making happy yipping noises, and his nerves all went alight.

Iori grinned at empty air.

 _It was time to rumble._

* * *

 _Tldr:_

 _Yew asked Shen to go fight, possibly kill Iori in order to kill Rock. (Lmao I thought about putting Shen vs Rock right now, and was like lmao he gon die. So instead he gets to fight yag)_

 _Meantime, Yew crew+ insider are in Japan. Once yag busy across the ocean fighting Shen, rock is gonna get carved up and put on display over a bridge. Regain that honor fam. (Recall that Yew only needs to kill Rock to maintain his own, and his family's survival. Rock is first priority.)_

 _Rock has sharpened his skills under devilboss tutlage. He's gonna need it._

 _Stage is set!_


	107. The Battle God - The Crushing

_Okay I wrote a chapter out of order, If you read the old ch 107, it's gotten pushed to chapter 109 depending on the pacing. thx_

 _SHEN WOO IN LOVE_

* * *

Smoke in the air… gunpowder, blood, ash, violence…

The asphalt beneath his feet was scuffed and littered with debris. Torn, charred newspaper flew about him, lifting in the heated updraft. White dust powdered the road. Those Yagami flames turned everything to white dust. A terrifying power, but _not above his._

 _Yagami… where are you..._

A woman.

Striking red hair, and a murderous look in her eyes. He felt the soft flesh of her white throat against his calloused fingers. She was similar to Iori - she bore a striking resemblance. She had flames, and they buzzed and burst up and down all about him. It was _hot._ The fire was vicious and stinging and biting, but they couldn't reach him. They couldn't penetrate the aura of the Battle God. He was in his prime. He was in his home...

 _Nothing could take me here…_

The woman screamed as he squeezed her neck. The scream was cut short as, with one violent motion, Shen Woo tilted his head back, and plunged down, smashing his forehead into her nose. The scent of Blood. The crunch of cartilage crushing under great impact. The snapping of teeth from their roots. The woman gagged and went limp in his arms, eyes lolling and jaw hanging slack. She… was a disappointment… but that was fine. She was just a teaser anyways, and appetizer. The main course was still out here. He could smell the stench of _that man's_ monstrous strength.

 _Weak… too weak… where are you Yagami! Hehe!... FIGHT ME!_

He tossed the woman aside and fixed his eyes ahead. Behind him, she lay crumpled and twitching on the concrete - Shen Woo didn't pay her even a second glance. She was a downed opponent. Worthless. Garbage. Several men in suits staggered through the smoke to drag her away. Shen Woo paid them no mind. It had been an hour since this gang conflict started, and by now - the men in suits _knew_ the moment they drew their firearms, _he would kill them._

In any case, they were in no hurry to try and shoot him themselves. Instead, to his great excitement, they sort of followed him at a safe distance. They didn't need to battle him. They had brought somebody for that. Shen Woo knew _exactly who_ and he was terribly, terribly excited. He knew his scent.

 _Come out… come out…_

 _("What? You haven't found that Chinese bastard yet? Are you kidding me?")_

His smell, his voice… _There!_ _God._ It made Shen Woo tremble. Every muscle in his body was loose and ready for action. Every nerve was buzzing with opiates. His eyes were fixed on him. His teeth were gritted tightly. His power thrummed through him, itching, throbbing, yearning to plunge into that man's gut and burst him wide open. He saw that beautiful, horrible power. _He wanted to crush it. He wanted to destroy it!_

 _("A sniper?... where? Did you bring my binoculars?")_

Iori Yagami, right there. He had his back turned and was angrily yapping into the phone. Yet, despite his apparent relaxedness, Shen Woo knew he had been detected. The man had a phone pressed to his face, and was staring up at a burning building. He shouted commands in a language Shen Woo didn't understand.

 _("... you didn't? Then fuck you, deal with the sniper on your own. I've got someone to deal with. Call me afterwards.")_

The red-haired man hung up, pocketed his cellphone, and turned to him. His eyes were sharp. His gaze was cold, uncaring and beastial. He was coated in white ash and streaks of blood, which covered his hands and forearms, and dripped from his fingertips. One of the hired assassins lay slain at his feet, and Iori stepped over him as he approached. He glared.

 _("You… what are you here for...")_

One of the bodyguards who had been tailing him promptly translated. Even so, it was hardly necessary. Although Shen Woo didn't know the words Iori Yagami was speaking, he understood his meaning perfectly well. The way he stood. The strain in his forearms. The trembling in his heels. The sickly light in his eyes. _This man wanted to kill…_

Shen Woo grinned. He had never fought somebody like this. He knew this man could crush him. He could _feel_ it in the air. The power was compact, oppressive… _Shen Woo wanted it._ He wanted to fight these odds. To pit his fists against this red-haired demon. _The Battle God against the flaming devil._

He growled. He felt himself drooling. Those black, soulless eyes observed him. They seemed to scoff… _There it was._ The glint of seriousness. The hunger of a beast. Iori Yagami was going to fight him, and they were fighting to the death. The man fell into his usual battle stance, yet Shen Woo knew there was something different. _There was a monster there._ A monster working in tandem with the man.

Shen Woo's voice trembled in excitement.

"Fight me! _FIGHT ME!_ "

 _("I'm going to slaughter you.")_

"Fight me!"

Iori grinned. There was a crazy look in his eye. This man didn't care that Shen Woo had just murdered some of his clansmen. He didn't seem to mind that many of his guards lay mangled and dead on the streets. This man had _bloodlust._ He wanted to destroy, just as badly as Shen Woo wanted to conquer.

Guards fled the scene as the flames burst about them. The asphalt became goopy and melted. Street signs collapsed upon themselves to become running quicksilver on the floor. A bullet flew from a distant building and liquified as it passed through the flames. The fast-flying lead flew past Iori's chin and squelched into a puddle.

This power… it was terrifying. It was beautiful.

Iori's teeth were chattering. His lips had pulled back to bare his teeth and gums. His eyes had gone wild and zipped about neurotically. His posture remained perfectly still and he emitted a beastial cackle. Two voices in one. Shen Woo's hunch was right. This man was a _real life monster._

He couldn't be happier.

"Let's FIGHT!"

 _("Time to die!")_

* * *

 _How romantic._

 _lmao_


	108. Battle of War Dogs

_Mad Dog vs Hellhound_

* * *

 _Pathetic._

This _fucking_ dog thought he could face _him?_ Really? Ridiculous. Nobody bared his teeth at Iori Yagami and lived. This bitch had power, sure. Every strike was swift and heavy and if Iori wasn't careful, it could very well shatter his bones and pulverize his organs.

"Dog."

But, Iori hadn't survived this long by making mistakes. He was wreathed in flames head to toe, yet felt no pain. Riot was taking care of that. His Autistic - but incredibly strong alter ego was always eager to fight. His strength was enormous enough to defy logic, and Iori was borrowing it to pummel his drummer into a pulp.

"Start praying."

The two of them were in an alleyway beside the building 'Yew' supposably lived in. They were looking for a fat man with glasses - but found nobody who fit the description. They had interrogated and killed some of the neighbors, and when nobody spilled the location - the bodyguards were convinced the man had fled. Iori figured he would burn down the building, just in case he was hiding under their noses.

He was watching the place burn down when his fight-y drummer came crawling out of the woodwork. Iori had been a bit surprised to see him. When he got reports of a blonde man killing Nephew and beating Cousin shitless, he didn't expect to see his drummer… honestly, he wasn't particularly upset about it, and despite everything, he had no particular affection for the man. He could keep time, and could punch pretty well, and _some other_ things - but Iori had no issue slaughtering him. He was utterly inconsequential.

Iori glared down at the man. He opened his mouth and his voice came out somewhere between a bark and a snarl. Riot was mimicking him. Two guttural voices, one chilling message.

"I'm sending you to hell."

Iori approached the man crumpled against the wall. His bleached hair was dyed in his own blood. One eye was swollen shut. Iori had snapped his left arm, and the cracked bone poked out through his bicep. There were slashes criss-crossing his body. All of them had struck deep, and were bleeding profusely. He had collapsed in a puddle of his own blood, which steamed with the heat of their sick little arena. If the man's aura hadn't been so strong, a single one of those gashes would have lopped off limbs, or split him in two. He had lasted this long. He was tough. If they had fought in the Tournament ring, Drummer might have won.

But right now, they weren't in the ring. Right now, they were here to kill each other, and when it came to killing - there was hardly a person better at it than Iori Yagami. He didn't need to pull his punches. He didn't need to reign Riot in. He went all out, and his guards watched in terror and awe.

 _All the better… they were getting a bit too friendly with me..._

Blonde Drummer was tough, but not nearly tough enough. The fight had lasted two minutes. Two long minutes. In that time, the man's attitude had gone from intensely excited, to utter frustration. His incredible confidence had disappeared, and his eyes were burning in his head. Although he must be suffering in terrible pain, he gave no indication of it. That grin never left his face. _He thought this was fun._ Even getting thrashed, chased to the brink of death… it was _fun._

 _Freak._

This man wanted to tear him in two. This man wanted to crush him to the ground, slit his throat and crow victory over his lifeless body. Iori wasn't offended by it. It was just the way of this world. The strong consumed the weak, and the weak fantasized about crushing the strong. This was a death match, and today, Blonde Drummer discovered he was _weak._

He was no match.

He knew he was about to die.

There was no begging. No shameful display of tears and snot and weakness. The man hauled himself upright and stood to his feet. The look in his eyes wasn't of fear, or anger, or shame, but rather sadness. He wanted to continue fighting. He wanted nothing more than to clash, and clash, and clash again. Fight! Test his will! Win, lose, forge himself stronger and do it again, and again, and again. This was what he lived for - Iori could see it clearly.

But he had made a mistake. He had challenged the wrong person, and so … the cycle ended.

What a pity.

...

Mercy?

No such thing.

...

 _Riot… do the honors._

Riot's voice burst in his mind. He felt his mental roommate's ecstasy fill his head. He grinned.

 _KAKAKAKAKAKAKA!_

Iori breathed in the stench of blood and violence and excitement. The feeling of blood against his hands - running slick beneath his nails. The satisfying crunch of bone beneath his heel. It was all there… all the pieces of a perfect victory. He surrendered control to Riot, and watched the scene play out with keen satisfaction. He felt his arms lifting. He felt his legs propelling him forward at a blinding speed. His fingertips became spears, his lungs expelled air, and Riot uttered a shrieking cackle.

 _"A-A-AHHHHHAHAHA!"_

 _*fwoom*_

A blinding flash of light.

*CRUNCH*

And his arm plunged elbow-deep into the brick wall with enough force to jar his teeth. But… where was the blood? Where was… _What the hell?_

Blonde Drummer was gone.

Vanished.

There was neither hide nor hair of him. The blood remained on the floor. The molar which Iori had punched out of his mouth was still gleaming in the sunlight… but the man? _Gone._

 _What the fuck!?_

 _AH?! AH?! AH?!_

Riot whirled around and looked about, searching for it's quarry, shocked and disappointed that the kill had escaped him. Iori seized control over the body before his alter ego began throwing a fit. With a _*shink*_ he ripped his arm from the wall and looked about carefully.

The alleyway was a dead end. The walls were smooth and high, and nobody could climb them. His right, a tall wall. His left, bodyguards (who looked terribly shocked) blocking the exit. There was no reasonable place the Drummer could have escaped to. He turned to the small crowd of Yakuza guards and snarled.

"WHERE IS HE?!"

 _("We don't know sir! He...")_

 _("Sir, he disappeared! The light!")_

 _("He's gone, sir!")_

Iori felt rage bubbling in his head. His flames burned ever more brightly, and he sent up a pillar in his rage. If the drummer had somehow climbed the wall, then perhaps he'd be incinerated in the blaze. When there was no scream, no response... he banished the fire and stared up at the sky. _Drummer had escaped him..._

 _How the fuck...what happened...how did he get away._

Impressive.

Iori turned and shouted at his guards. They cringed beneath his gaze.

"That man... his name?"

 _("... Shen Woo, sir.")_

 _He'd remember that name._

"I see... FIND HIM."

* * *

 _Ohhhhhh_

 _I wonder who intevened..._

 _(wink wink nudge nudge. you didn't think I'd kill Shen woo did you?)_

 _Guess who!_


	109. Live a Villian

_Eyo._

 _The end is beginning._

* * *

 _Something's not right…_

Everything within him was screaming: ' _danger'_ , but Rock had no idea what was wrong. Everything _seemed_ fine. The bodyguards had never done him dirty before, and Rock had grown quite used to them. In fact, although he couldn't understand a word they said, he sometimes felt he understood them more clearly than Iori. In any case, they were an organized bunch - and this was probably fine… Right?

 _It's okay Rocky… calm down… phew…_

It was about three hours after Boss and his crew of about ten people flew out this morning to supposably ' _Murder some dumb-fucks'_. Perhaps the words didn't really register with Rock, since Iori's daily language was so peppered with death-threats that he had come to tune them out, but until the helicopter flew back in to pick up another group of bodyguards and a trunk full of firearms did Rock realize exactly what was going on.

This was a small scale war… And Rock's band leader had decided to take to the front lines dressed like he was headed to the beach.

Rock shook his head and turned to gaze out of the car window. They were speedily making their way out of the manor, headed to… some safehouse, _probably_. Up ahead, one guard was driving, another was sitting shotgun… carrying a shotgun. A couple of days ago, such firearms would have made his eyes pop, but now he was quite used to seeing them. He didn't give the bodyguards a second thought as he loosed his mind to wander.

… _oh man… I know Boss is pretty strong, but is he gonna be okay?..._

He sighed. It... wasn't really his problem, right? And Iori had actually been pretty excited this morning. The red-haired man seemed to know how to handle himself, and apparently did 'war' with IKARI regularly. He'd be fine… _probably._ Rock wasn't going to help anyways, so there was no use worrying about it. He had planned to spend the day laying low and recovering from Iori's hellish exercise routine by soaking in the jacuzzi, all whilst binging detective movies.

 _Is it bad taste to watch mafia movies on the mafia's wifi? Hmmm… best not to._

Unfortunately, his plans were upended when amidst the chaos, one of the guards - who looked to be under orders - stuck him in a car and speedily shipped him out of there. At the time they left, the entire manor was in a state of uproar. People were running about, moving things and shouting commands at each other. As somebody who didn't speak _any_ Japanese, it was easy to imagine _something_ had gone wrong, and he was being taken away for his own safety.

 _Don't worry Rocky… jeez… chill…_

Rock exhaled hard, and tried to focus on his cellphone. _Something_ in him was just uncomfortable. He was doing his best not to let his jitteriness show, because the guards would probably freak out and start fretting over him like they normally did. Yet, no matter how he tried to relax, he just couldn't. Thoughts were swimming in his head, _Where are we going? Does Boss know they're sending me away? These guys look pretty strong… if I fought, could I beat them? Ughh stop it Rocky!_

Frankly, it was embarrassing. Why was it that the moment Iori left him alone, he was suddenly beset with thoughts of paranoia? It was true that the last time he was separated from his employer he'd been kidnapped and nearly killed… but what were the chances that happened again? Honestly, it was entirely illogical for him to be freaking out so badly, he could hardly keep a steady breathing. Had he seriously become that clingy? He didn't even like hanging around with Boss, so why the hell was he hyperventilating the moment he was separated!? _Have I got Stockholm Syndrome or something? Ugh, dammit Rocky!_ _Please man up!_

 _("The kid's jumpy… how much longer to the meeting point?")_

 _("Five minutes, give or take… not like the brat is gonna hop out the window. We've got him.")_

The bodyguards were talking amongst themselves and glanced back at him to make worried expressions. Rock huffed and glanced up at them. They were just two bodyguards… the same kind of people who had accompanied him for the past seven days. They were driving in one of the Yagami family armored cars. There was nothing… _really_ wrong _._ Sure, he could be suspicious, but then again, there wasn't a very good reason for him to be. No matter how much he told himself that, he couldn't shake the feeling. He felt a bead of sweat trail down the back of his neck, and his hands trembled with restlessness. Every nerve was on high alert.

 _Whatever… I'm… I'm gonna call Boss… I don't care if he thinks I'm being clingy… shit…_

Rock exhaled hard, and stared down at the phone in his hands. He knew he was being watched in the rearview mirror, so dialed as discreetly as possible. He was pretty sure the guards didn't speak English, so… maybe they thought he was calling his family or something. They… probably weren't hostile anyways, and Iori _had_ given him instructions to behave.

 _I just wanna check..._

 _*Brrrrr*_

 _*Brrr-*_

 _*(-NUTSACK COULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN FAR! FIND HIM!… WHAT?... NAH MY KID IS CALLING-) Howard! I'm busy! What do you want!?*_

Rock blinked as his eardrums were nearly blown out. The bodyguards up front were staring hard at him and had begun talking amongst themselves again. Their expressions were… annoyed, and stressed. That wasn't a very good sign. Did they suspect he had called Iori?

 _*Howaaard?!*_

"Hey Boss, um I… uh, I just wanted to check in…"

Iori sounded pissed.

 _*What-Why?! I'm fine, and I'd be even better if you hadn't called me! Go back to watching TV or something! Go soak in the hot springs. If you want anything else, just play charades with one of the guards, and they'll eventually feed you. Bye.*_

"Wait! Boss!" Rock cried out. Iori made a frustrated noise but didn't hang up.

"Boss, I'm in a car right now. The bodyguards drove me out of the house about an hour ago… uh, I can't understand them, so I just wanted to check in… like… am I headed to a safehouse?"

There was an explosion over the line. He heard Iori shout something, then the receiver was struck several times before he heard his employer's voice again.

 _*(WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU SHOOTING THAT THING?! FUCK OFF!)... Hold on, Howard…"_ There was hesitation in Iori's voice, " _you're… not at the Estate?*_

Rock was simultaneously glad he had gotten Iori's attention, and dreading _why_ Iori sounded so serious. He felt cold apprehension pool in his stomach; he felt a little bit sick. The jitteriness was back full force, and his voice trembled as he spoke. He felt the driver's eyes on him in the mirror.

"Um, no. I'm in a car, headed… somewhere. Your guards took me."

 _*...You're supposed to be in the house…oh… did... fuck.*_

Rock glanced up at the men seated in front of him. The one holding the shotgun had half-turned toward the backseat and stared at him. The gunman wasn't aiming the firearm, but it was very clear that if Rock made any sudden moves, he'd be pumped full of lead. Rock could hardly believe what he was seeing. He was beset with trembling - not in fear, not really in anger either. Perhaps it was just rage borne of frustration. Seriously? _Again?!_

"...Boss, what are you talking about."

Rock had been _certain_ this battle was over… he thought once he was with Iori's bodyguards, he'd be fine. He didn't want to fight anymore. He definitely didn't want to kill anymore. Now that Chizuru Kagura sealed that evil voice in him, he had to take full responsibility for every one of his actions. When he murdered in the Shipyard and Alleyway - those could be chalked up to the evil hissing in his head… but now, _now it was all him._

Her words echoed in his head: ' _Perhaps you're not the angel you think you are...'_

Rock stared at the denim in his jeans and exhaled hard. He shut his eyes, folded his hands, and gritted his teeth. There was bile in his throat, and every part of him was wracked in apprehension. He wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground and hide away.

 _Shit! Dammit… Dad, I wish you were here..._

Rock wanted to cry.

Not from fear for his life, but fear of losing himself again. When he had first _joyfully_ bloodied his hands, his despair was worse than death. He felt like a piece of utter, irredeemable garbage. He was convinced he was his father's wretched son. The thoughts had flown about his head… What would Terry do? What would Terry think? Certainly, _immeasurable disappointment_ … because Rock's actions would have meant _nothing_ Terry did in the past eight years made a single difference. Rock's blood was already evil. He was rotten from the start.

 _No… I have a second chance..._

But now, Chizuru Kagura told him otherwise. It wasn't him… it was the voice of an evil god influencing him. He was sick. His mind was invaded… the 'real Rock Howard' was of far nobler character, _right?_ That's what he told himself. He'd repeated it until he believed it.

But now, his belief was going to be put to the test. When Terry fought for his life, he didn't fight to kill. Terry never took a life. Terry was the gold standard… he had even tried to save the life of his mortal enemy. He had taken in his enemy's son, and raised him as his own. _That's how good Terry was._

That was the example Terry put forth for him.

That's what Rock would strain to follow.

Would he follow it?

What was the cost?

… _what… what if I die?_

"... boss, am I gonna die?"

His voice sounded broken.

There was A moment of silence over the phone.

When Iori finally spoke, his voice was measured.

 _*That's up to you … Listen to me. Turn on tracking on your phone… I'm done in Shanghai. Forty five minutes and I'll be there.*_

Rock heard his employer as if through a haze. He wouldn't fall again. Not to those disgusting depths of animals and devils. The Shipyard, the Alleyway... He was out of control. His murders hadn't been his… He was a man possessed, sick, twisted...

Now that he had a clean slate, he needed to prove it to himself. Prove that Rock Howard wasn't Geese's son. Rock Howard was no monster… Rock Howard was no killer… _Would he die for that ideal?_

Would he fight tooth and nail, tear throats, crush skulls? _Live…_ but live an animal?

Or would he spare their lives. Pull his punches… and likely die in the process? He eyed the shotgun warily… _Rocky… Rocky what will you do…_

Iori's voice carried over the line. It was a sad voice. Perhaps he knew a little of Rock's inner turmoil.

 _*Howard… take this seriously. It might just be some hostage bullshit, but it could be a fight for your life. You hear me?*_

"...y-yeah."

 _*I won't tell you how to handle it...Do what you need to do. Good Luck.*_

*click*

* * *

 _Brocky got 2 dads to choose from._

 _One dad is a cold and power hungry killer_

 _One dad is a really good dude._

 _And his boss is a serial murderer lunatic. Thanks Yag._

 _YOU THOUGHT IT FINISHED WITH SEIRAH HUH? NAAAAHHHH we got feels to deel with!_


	110. Die a Hero

_oh man..._

 _I hope this chapter is good... I had a lot of trouble with it. :/_

* * *

Yew Lin Kee never took himself to have a strong stomach.

He wasn't even a fan of those Kung-fu movies the Chinese population loved so much. Blood just made him sick. There was a reason he was the manager of Shanghai's Triad branch. They regulated themselves solely to white-collar crime. Never dipping down to sully their hands with the blood of their countrymen… or, for that matter, the blood of _anyone_.

Of course, they still carried guns, and bats, and knives, but it was primarily for the intimidation factor. It has been a long, long time since their Mafia division had actually performed a hit, or otherwise made out with specific intent to hurt someone, much less _kill_ someone. Considering how the Yagami hit went, they obviously weren't very good at that sort of thing... but they felt they could at _least_ handle 'Rock Howard'.

 _Good thing it's just a kid… but, oh man… I'm so, so sorry…_

Prior to laying eyes on the boy, Mr. Yew had been almost gleeful with the idea of killing him. This kid… he had attacked the triads. He had Killed Brother Kam… and every moment he was alive, Yew's wife and daughter were in danger of being tortured and killed. Honestly, Yew didn't care so much about the ' _Triad's Honor'_ at this point. They had thrown him from their ranks - he held no loyalty to them… even so, he would take their commands, especially since it guaranteed the safety of his family.

 _("What… what do you want! Are… why are you doing this?!")_

Today was the first time Mr. Yew had laid eyes on Rock Howard, and it tore his heart. The kid was young… no older than twenty. He had a ruddy complexion, and an honest face. He carried himself in a shy and reserved manner, and seemed to be no lover of combat. The reports that he had viciously murdered many armed guards were almost unbelievable… because the boy was clearly scared, frustrated and appeared to be hyperventilating. He was bloodied quite a bit - the guards had reported he had tried to jump out the moving car's window - but otherwise maintained structural integrity. Tears ran down his face as he stood there, beneath a bridge overpass, trembling and with a gun pressed into the back of his neck.

 _("What do you want!...Let me go!")_

Alas… Yew couldn't spare the boy. He _just_ couldn't. He envisioned the faces of his wife and daughter and steeled his heart. This was the first and last time he would ever murder anybody. He had gathered a group of ten of his best bodyguards to meet him for this mission. Iori Yagami - the man who had served as the boy's employer and protector for the past couple of weeks was busy across the ocean, either killing or being killed by Shanghai's Battle dog. In any case, the red-haired nutcase was out of Yew's hair. All he needed to do was have this boy killed, sliced to bits, and used to decorate the bridge above them…

 _How... Savage of you… Cheng, you sick bastard…_

There was a small scuffle as the boy, supposably, tried to worm his way out of someone's grasp, and once again tried to bolt. There was a _shink_ as somebody pulled a knife, and a corresponding cry and splatter of blood against pavement. The guns were just for show here. They were standing beneath a busy overpass, and unless all of them were to be arrested, guns weren't to be discharged. The boy wasn't going die quickly. The easiest way he could go was if he remained docile and let his throat be slit… and even then, he would suffer.

 _This is the only time I'll kill… Mei Mei… Lao Poh… this is for you…_

Even so… _even so._

Yew looked the boy in the eyes. He took it all in: the despair, the desperation, the confusion, and the apparent innocence. He took it in, and the pang of guilt shattered against his soul. Yew squeezed his eyes shut, and quickly turned away. How awful this was. How wretched he would become. Was it worth it? His own soul, for the lives of his family?

 _It's worth it… forgive me, boy._

"Kill him."

His voice was sad and low as he gave the command. As he said the words, he felt a little bit of him die out. Like a stab to the chest. A knife to the heart…Even so, what's done was done...

"Do it quickly."

"Yes Sir."

* * *

 _Ten of them…_

Rock Howard was surrounded, hemmed in on all sides by burly guards. They were all armed, not with guns, but with knives. Rock wasn't exactly sure what that meant for him, but the shotgun which had been aimed at his chest for the remainder of the car ride (once he hung up the phone with Boss, and promptly jumped out of the window) had been removed and holstered. That meant… that meant he had a chance.

… _Rocky… Rocky calm down..._

Time was key here. Iori said he was coming by helicopter, and would arrive soon. Rock had taken in that information, and - after he finished panicking - spent some time strategizing. Time. Time would save him. Iori was often late to work and band meetings and such... but he was serious this time. He wouldn't be late. 45 minutes, and Rock was saved. He had already stalled twenty minutes with his window stunt, five more via the car ride, ten more begging and crying and putting on a show. Ten minutes left, and the guards looked like they weren't going to wait any longer...

 _Okay... okay... ten minutes... damn..._

These men were trained fighters. Men who fought for a living. Face to face, Rock didn't stand a chance. Unlike in the shipyard, or in the alleyway, there was no opportunity for Rock to perform a surprise attack... and even if he did - _ten opponents?_ Even one-on-one would be tough for him, after all - his frame wasn't yet fully grown. He was strong among his peers, but against someone twice his weight, with twice the experience? His strength fell short, if he was lucky, he might _barely_ win…

 _Oh man… okay…_

Rock gritted his teeth and backed up as the flashing knives approached. They glinted and sliced and diced swaths in the air. Clearly the men wielding them were experts. Rock eyed them warily and extended his hands, as if he were holding them back with an invisible force field.

 _Time... 9 minutes..._

It was a good thing he had spent the past few days trying to murder Iori on the dojo mat. If he hadn't pitted himself against his employer- who was quite literally just trying to get a workout - and felt the feebleness of his own fighting skills, he most certainly would have attacked everyone the moment he was dragged from the car.

 _Good thing..._

Overconfidence would have been his downfall. As an aggressor, he would have been shot and killed without a moment's hesitation. He was lucky he had a babyface, otherwise his stalling tactic (cry a bit, act confused) might not have worked. Rock wasn't quite sure what these men wanted with him, but it didn't seem like he was being held hostage. From the grimaces and somewhat sad looks they were giving him, Rock concluded _they were ordered to kill him._

 _With knives? What the f-... okay… okay… better a knife than a gun..._

Rock took a deep breath and watched them warily. He did his best to encourage himself, but the situation was simply too grim. The area was dark, damp and smelled foul. Above, the rushing of cars over the highway overpass. If he cried for help, nobody would hear him. Behind him, a stream of shallow water. The rising and falling of the tide had caused the concrete to grow lichen and become slick and slippery. The area was cleared of any debris that he might use as weaponry. Clearly, he hadn't been underestimated.

 _Damn..._

They approached in a ring about him. Ten men, knives drawn and no mercy in their eyes. Rock put up a guard and took a deep breath. Earth's power stung as it pooled beneath him and zipped up through his nerves until it filled his head… reinforcing his joints and crackling in his fists. But this time, the accompanying feeling wasn't excitement. It wasn't that itch to crush and destroy and _win._

It was dread.

Because for him, there was no winning. Here, there was hardly room for decision, for ideology... There was only survival.

It was a foolish thought that he'd need to pull his punches. It was utterly stupid for him to imagine he was in the position to kill or spare... yet that thought was all that filled his head. It was all he could think about. Even when ten men were focused on him with a singular, murderous, intent, Rock wasn't only considering how his body might survive, but his humanity as well.

 _If… I mean, it's self defense! If I kill somebody, it will be completely legal… right?_

Maybe. But it was completely beside the point. In the shipyard, in the alleyway, everything he did was completely within the realm of 'self defense'. It was all within the protective bounds of the law… but the law wasn't enough to guard his heart. Those heinous actions had wounded him. They had made him feel like a soulless animal. He would never take that path again. He had told himself he would rather die… and he meant it. The guilt was overbearing. It was too heavy a burden to live with.

 _It would hardly be living at all._

So here, under this filthy bridge, beaten, bloodied, and surrounded by men with knives out for his blood… _Here,_ Rock Howard saw the two paths laid out before him.

One, the path of his pedigree. The path to the pits of base thinking and ruinous impulses. The path _that bastard Geese Howard_ followed. The path that consumed the weak, and glorified the strong…

And the second… the path of humanity. Of personal morality. Of goodness, and all things just and gentle and peaceful and lovely. The golden road. The straight and narrow. An arduous path, but one… _one that would save his soul._

Rock Howard might die today. His heart might cease beating. His lungs cease drawing breath. Yet, he wouldn't lose himself. He wouldn't forfeit his humanity and fall to the depths of an animal. If he was going to live, if he was going to die… he'd die as a man, and not as a monster.

He was redeemed with a miracle. The realization he had been unfairly influenced by the wicked god of the world came as a shock, yes, but also as a sweet realization. Those deaths... they hadn't been his fault… he was acquitted. If the demon-god was holding his mind, his actions weren't his own. Now, he was free of it… now he was free. Clean slate. New man… If he sullied himself now… what could he give to scrub away his sins…?

 _Rocky… Rocky… hold the line…_

He eyed those flashing knives. He gritted his teeth. He set his heart. He steeled it. _Bolted it down._ Fixed upon it like he had never fixed before.

This was the fight of his life.

He would fight for his survival.

He would fight for his humanity.

He would fight for _himself._ All of himself.

The standoff was over. Rock felt the slick concrete beneath the soles of his feet. He felt the hot, rancid breeze blow from the sea. The rumble of the cars speeding down the highway trembled through the floor, and up to rattle his teeth. The guards came at him. Arms raised, gleaming knives in their hands... They were _coming._

His trial was here.

Live or die, he'd follow the right path.

He'd make Terry proud.

 _Now...Go!_

* * *

 _Rock._

 _u got this bby_


	111. Battle for the Soul

_My baby boi..._

* * *

Nothing was real.

He watched the world around him with a strange sort of detachment. Some things were moving too slowly. Other things, too quickly. It was like he was in a strange sort of dream. He was watching the events unfold outside of himself. He was reading the script of his own nightmare.

… _I didn't lose…_

He lay flat on his back and stared up at the underside of the highway bridge. It seemed so far above him. He felt the coldness of the concrete through his t-shirt. He felt it's unyielding hardness against the back of his head. Trickling wetness tickled his ears, he wasn't sure if it was water, or his own blood. He exhaled, and as his ribs expanded, they ached. Something cold and sharp was lodged in the bone, he winced and shut his eyes.

 _I… I didn't lose myself…_

Ten against one. He'd fought hard. He'd never fought so hard in his life. When he struck, the impact was tremendous _._ The power from the ground filled him up, and expelled wherever he directed it. Orochi's power - even if he could use only a shard, seemed infinite and absolutely ridiculous. Yet… yet _he was finite._

Because even when he burst holes in the ground, even when he drew great geyers from beneath his feet… his opponents were simply far too much. Ten people, ten fighters, trained and armed and _strong._ They surrounded him, and fell, one by one. Groaning, and twitching and glaring at him. Ten sets of eyes, either swollen shut, closed in unconsciousness or glaring in pain. _None dead._

 _Except… me…_

Was this the right path? The narrow and straight? The high standard of humanity? The high standard his father showed him? Was this goodness, and justice, and Righteous? If so, why did it feel so bad… _Did... did I screw it up?_

Knives.

Each about six to seven inches long. Heavy, solid, straight and _sharp._

There were… three stuck in him, and countless cuts and scratches in-between. One in his shoulder. It had gone in cleanly and lodged in his joint. Rock knew it was the joint, because if he tried to so much as move his left arm, the pain was so bad, tears came running down his face. Another in his thigh. It had made a _thunk_ when it hit the bone. The last one in his ribs. Something had cracked as that one went in. Rock didn't want to think about what might have happened ...

 _Dad… it hurts… is this what you would do… is this right?_

Ten against one, and all were alive.

Ten opponents were downed, and soon enough, one was going to stand back up and slit his throat… because right now, he couldn't move. He couldn't run. He couldn't fight. He couldn't even draw any power. If he had killed these men, then perhaps, he wouldn't need to die. If he had crushed skulls, and crushed throats, he might crawl out of here alive...

 _Am I an idiot? Is… is it really worth it? You're gonna die Rocky… like, death. Done…_

Rock wasn't sure if he regretted his actions. His conscious was clear, yes, but at what cost?

 _Is death the price I need to pay?_

No matter how much he preached to himself, he just wasn't feeling the gravity of death. In fact, nothing felt real at all. He just couldn't really believe he was going to _die._ It was such a foreign concept. Sure, he knew everyone died one day… and of course, if he knew he was included in that general 'everyone'… but for some reason he just couldn't grasp the concept.

 _("You bastards… the hell… he's just a kid!")_

A voice? Someone seemed to mutter something in a language Rock didn't understand. The roar of the highway above was simply too loud, and Rock was feeling too tired to address it. He was injured too badly, and was feeling too tired. He let his mind go numb and blank.

 _("Ugh… I'll have to do it myself…")_

Heavy footsteps. Rock heard them reverberate through the concrete floor. They were growing closer, booming in his ears. Looming and ominous and thundering. He tilted his head.

 _Eleven… there are eleven._

He looked across the floor, at the groaning mess of bodies and blood - much of it was his own. Some teeth. Shards of concrete. A wreck of potholes. The sear of energy etched into the stone… and a man.

 _Not ten… eleven… Rocky… oh man… oh man… it's time..._

Fat, unimpressive - yet shrewd and vengeful. His physical appearance was small, but the cold resolve in his eyes made him fill the room. Rock watched him as he crunched through the debris. He came at him, marching like death. He bent down and plucked up a bloody blade from the floor. It made a *shink* as the tip dragged along the concrete. Rock watched that blade.

That blade was real.

 _Fuck! Rock! Move your ass! Shit!_

It was real. Everything was real. Terror, adrenaline, endorphins, anxiety. They filled his head in a single moment, and Rock ignored his pain to make a pathetic attempt to crawl to his feet. Blood splattered, and he only barely bit back his cry. He glared at the fat man. He glared at the man carrying death in his hands.

"Stay away! Get away from me!"

Rock struck wildly at the concrete, pushing, scrambling feebly until he was backed against the wall.

 _Dad… Dad what do I do… I… I won't be coming home… Dad… I'm sorry..._

Thudding in his ears, just off beat with his heart. It pounded in his lungs and shook his terrified brain. Rock gritted his teeth. He tasted iron and salt. Blood and tears. He was helpless. He was alone.

 _I'm dead… Dad! Someone… Shit!_

The fat man was upon him. looming over him like a specter. The knife in his hands seemed larger than life. Rock could hear it… he could hear the *shink* it would make when snipping through his skin, then muscle, then tendon, then windpipe… he could see the blood which would run down from his throat, dying everything red… _nononono!_

He sobbed.

"Get back! Get back! Stay Away!"

The fat man didn't hear him. The knife rose. It glinted there, poised above his head like a snake prepared to deal the finishing blow. The pressure. The dread. The wind howled and whipped. Rock felt the beat pounding in his ears.

 _The knife… it's..._

It fell.

… _Death._

…

…

Darkness?

No… blinding white.

White hot.

Cold heat.

Purple-white.

 _("Howaaaaard!? Oh holy hell… not again.")_

He heard a voice, calling out through the pounding wind. Shouting, overpowering the din of a helicopter's blades. Rock knew that voice. He had endured countless hours of it, bugging him, nagging him, screaming at him… it was the sweetest voice he had ever heard.

 _Boss... He's finally here… oh man..._

He choked on a sob. He closed his eyes. He let himself relax, go limp. Something liquid and heavy fell against his neck then sloughed off. _The knife_... Death had been reduced to dross by the fevered flames of benevolence.

 _I passed..._

He had braved the trial intact. His life... his humanity. Body. Soul.

His face hurt, but Rock smiled anyways.

 _Dad… I'll be coming home…_

He'd come home proud.

* * *

 _Almost done friends._

 _The capstone is set._


	112. Show's Over

_phew, so after this we're pretty much in cooldown/resolvation. Rock had one hell of a tour haha._

 _Iori is still an asshole no matter the situation. I sorta wanted him to show a bit of affection and understanding in this, but LunaticBae just wouldn't._

 _He's a legit sociopath. :/_

* * *

"Bite."

Rock grimaced and took a few deep breaths before he chomped down onto the wallet Iori stuck in his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and scrunched his nose - as well he should, because this sort of thing always hurt like a bitch. Iori dropped his voice low.

"Ready?"

Rock gave an affirmative: " _mrph"_

Iori nodded and stood from a crouch. He motioned to the medic standing behind him, who had accompanied them on the helicopter flight. He - and three other bodyguards converged around the boy in preparation to yank all the knives out. There were three, and all of the corresponding wounds were quite nasty. From what Iori could see, the blade in Rock's leg was buried at _least_ a quarter inch in the bone. Another had been jammed into the rotator cuff. The last had _thankfully_ caught Rock in the floating rib, and snapped it. If it had plunged into his guts instead, he might have died on the spot.

… _this is the fourth time this week… damn brat..._

Other than that, he had several really bad cuts and lacerations - but by some miracle, none were life threatening. The medic had a bunch of tubes and gauze and tourniquets and _is that glue?_ ready to staunch the bleeding, so once they got these knives out, Rock was going to be wrapped like a mummy and flown to Kagura - who already had a gallon of blood transfusions and a room reserved for him.

 _Poor kid..._

The medic gave him a nod and Iori commenced. When he spoke, he measured his voice as best he could. He (and Riot) were already _fucking_ pissed on the helicopter ride here, and now - upon seeing his prodigy sliced to bits, Iori was just about ready to blow his top. Even as he spoke gently, it was clear that everyone around him saw the murderous light in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and strained to keep his voice low.

"On the count of three..."

He saw Rock take a shuddering breath and brace himself. He trembled very slightly and seemed to retreat behind the curtain of his blood stained bangs. Iori planted his hands on his hips and did his best _not_ to roll his eyes. Empathy really wasn't a strong suit.

"… Three _."_

 _*Shunk*_

 _"Uurmnphhh-!"_

Rock flailed and convulsed briefly before he was pinned down and assaulted with medical equipment. Iori gave him an offhanded word of encouragement before twisting to glare at the eleven men who were responsible for this fiasco. Eleven men, handcuffed, kneeling and held at gunpoint. Ten of them were obviously bodyguards. Many had broken limbs, and swollen faces. Some were splattered in blood - and Iori was fairly certain it wasn't their own.

 _These fucks… They tore up my kid..._

The eleventh. The odd one out. He looked to be a business person. He was fat, short, bespectacled. He had been the one who would've slit Rock's throat had Iori failed to catch sight of them and intervene. _That_ was one hell of a close call. This was the... _fifth_ time over the span of this tour that Rock Howard had been snatched from the jaws of death. Iori didn't even want to _imagine_ what kind of hell Terry Bogard would raise if he received Rock home, dressed in a body bag.

 _I'm going to yank out his ribs… one by one… how does that sound, Riot? Wanna paint?_

Of course, Iori was also going to raise hell. Sure - Rock was still very much alive and… _wailing_ over against the wall, but the very fact somebody had tried to injure _his_ employee was enough to warrant some very gratuitous violence. After all, Riot was itching to get his hands on someone, and the bloodlust was infectious.

 _KAKAKAKAKAKAA!_

It was decided then. These guys were going to die gruesomely, starting with this fat dude. It was going to be a manual de-ribbing - Iori could already hear the crack of bone, the crunch of cartilage, and the feeling of flesh rending beneath his fingertips. He sucked in a deep breath and felt his blood boil in glee.

 _This is gonna be good..._

Iori flicked his fingers and grinned, raking his gaze across all 11 prisoners. From their terrified expressions, it looked like they had an inkling of what was coming for them. They began to struggle in their bonds. One seemed to be begging a guard to shoot him… was his reputation for cruelty _already_ so widespread in Japan's underworld?

 _Well… bound to happen sooner or later…_

Iori turned on his heel and began stalking across the ruined area, eyes fixed feverishly on his targets. His boots squelched in the blood-soaked lichen and he trembled with the anticipation of what beautiful events were about to transpire. Iori felt drunk. Drunk on Riot's… no, _his own_ bloodlust. He heard his teeth chattering through shallow breaths. He muttered an involuntary chuckle.

 _("Oh shit…guys, the heir.")_

 _("Even after this morning… He's gonna butcher more people? Seriously?")_

 _("Fuck… I'm gonna be sick…")_

The guards knew not to get in his way. They quickly released their holds on the captured enemies and scattered to give him a wide berth. Which was all well, because at this point, Iori didn't need them. They could just huddle up over there and do their best not to watch as he rolled up his sleeves and dove in.

 _Fat… Glasses… this guy…_

He looked fucking delicious. The fat melting into lard. The tangy blood pouring over his hands, the… _no, no…Riot, we'll have barbeque later… stop that… phew..._

Enough. He wasn't waiting, and neither was Riot. Iori kneeled down, and with a with a quick movement, seized the fat man by the front of his shirt. The man was crying and begging. Fat sloppy tears ran down his fat, sloppy face. Iori didn't understand a single word he said, but knew he was begging for mercy. _Mercy? Heh._

 _("Please, please... I was forced into this! I had no choice! My family, my wife, my daughter - she's 6! I'm, I'm just trying to be a father and-")_

Iori snickered. And the snicker turned into wild cackling. He laughed with two voices, one distorted over the other (Riot had decided to participate). He was also drooling, Riot really wanted to eat this fool. He wanted to bury himself elbow deep in this guy. He wanted to splatter the walls with his guts. Perhaps his intentions were showing clearly in his face, because the man's begging became loud wailing. He sounded exactly like he should... _Like a dying pig._

 _"Boss! What the hell!"_

There was some arguing and commotion behind, with the medical team. Iori saw it out of the corner of his eye and ignored it. Whatever it was, it could wait. He didn't get his fix very often, and wasn't gonna pass up this opportunity.

 _"Let me go! Stop it!"_

With a heave, Iori stood - pulling his victim upright by the labels of his shirt, and slamming him into a nearby wall. Iori was starting with the floating rib, left side. The same one that was pulverized by bullets, the one Rock had snapped a couple of moments ago… it was like poetry. _Now… too much fat...where is it…?_

 _*Shunk*_

* _Crack*_

 _("Auuuuuiiiighh!")_

Bullseye.

The stench of blood. The crunch of bone… Iori hooked his fingers over the rib to tear it out and-

"Boss! Iori! Stoop!"

Iori twisted his neck to gaze in annoyance at the spectators. Rock Howard - who at this point looked to be held together with bandages and gauze - had escaped the medical team and was making a stumbling attempt to charge at him. Even if his body wasn't holding up (he had a bad knife wound in one leg), the determination was clear in his eyes. It was a moment before Rock reached him, and when he did, he promptly grabbed on to Iori's waist to avoid toppling over. Iori gave him an incredulous stare. His bloodlust was promptly replaced with confusion.

"What now."

 _"What now?!_ You're asking what the problem is?! Let him go!"

Rock squeaked at him and jabbed a finger at the sobbing fat man. Rock's teeth were clenched in a grimace, and he trembled with the effort to stay standing upright. He looked like a mess, but his eyes were clear. Although his voice was weak - his demeanor was fierce. Iori frowned at him.

"Howard… these bitches tried to kill you 10 minutes ago. Do you have any ide-"

 _"I haven't died!"_

Iori scoffed. He twitched his fingers and the fat man released another piggy wail. Rock glared at him all the harder. The bodyguards on both sides watched with interest. Iori tried to mask the wild unhingedness in his face and spoke as gently and as light-heartedly as he could. Rock wasn't buying it.

"No, but it's the thought that counts. I'm just finishing the job that you started. If you don't wanna watch, then get outta here."

"No. _Boss_! You just wanna kill them…!"

Ah, whoops. Was it that obvious? Apparently so. Rock was clinging to him all the more tightly now, and making a sorry attempt to pull him away from his victim pinned against the concrete wall… sure, this was unsavory. And _sure_ he actually did want to kill them… but it was certainly the right thing to do. _I just wanna do what's right. No problem._

Protect those precious to you. Kill those who threaten them. That's always the right thing to do. For the sake of Rock Howard, Iori Yagami was going to kill these guys… _they're definitely bad guys. If they get away, they'll come after Rock again… it's cut and dry… easy._

He spoke sternly. His justification was flawless. At least he believed so.

"It's for your own good. Let go of me."

" _You don't know what's good for me!"_

Rock shrieked. He was angry and began to rant. Was the pain getting to him? Maybe the medic had injected him with something. _Whatever._ Iori rolled his eyes and fixed them back on the fat man. It made no difference to him if Rock was in the splash zone. If he saw something horrible, perhaps he would be less inclined to intervene in the future. Iori flexed his arm and prepared to tear out the rib. Rock continued to yell.

"I'm not a monster! I'm not a murderer. I'm not like you! I'm not like that bastard Geese! This is my path, Yagami! Those guys are mine! I won't see you kill them! Stop it right now!"

 _*Rumble*_

His instinct fired off. There was a gun loaded beneath his feet. An energy geyser poised to explode… it wasn't strong. Not strong enough to hurt _him…_ but the kid clinging to his waist? Rock Howard needed a hospital and a blood transfusion. Being tossed around like a ragdoll _by his own explosion_ might _actually_ kill him. Iori froze.

 _No fucking way._

"Get him go!"

"Howard! Are you stupid!? What the fuck!? Are you trying to die?!"

" _Listen to me! Let him go!_ "

Rock was digging his nails into his side, and was staring at him as if he were fighting for his _own_ life. Iori knew his employee well enough to know this kid lost his head sometimes, and did some seriously crazy shit… and right now - from the looks of it - all of Rock Howard's marbles had bounced out of his head. There was no reasoning with this kind of stupidity. Iori wasn't about to let Rock kamikaze himself for the sake of a couple of Triad goons, so he let go of Fat Man's rib, pulled his arm out of his stomach and raised his hands in surrender. Fat man slumped to the floor and groaned.

"Oh my god… okay, okay - goddamn you crazy bastard… you win. Get rid of that shit."

The rumbling stopped. Rock seemed to deflate, then glared at him like he'd just won some sort of victory. He managed a champion's grin even whilst clinging to him so tightly - Iori was feeling the condensation from Rock's breath sticky through the back of his shirt. It was gross, it looked pathetic, and just laying eyes on the brat was making Iori annoyed.

 _("Someone get this kid in the helicopter.")_

Iori turned, seized Rock by his good arm and yanked him upright, dislodging his grip with a yelp. He filled his lungs and shouted his team of bodyguards over. They approached tentatively, and hauled Rock off. Iori watched until he disappeared behind the doors of the helicopter before he turned back toward his eleven fugitives - _whom he wasn't going to kill anymore_. _Sorry Riot._

("Somebody. C'mere and translate.")

A guard trotted up to stand behind him. Iori crouched down to address the group's ringleader. Fat man struggled in his handcuffs and stared up in terror. He was bleeding from the hole Iori had stabbed in him, but not nearly as much as one would have expected. After all, Iori had only gotten through his impressive layer of fat, and pathetically thin layer of muscle before Rock attempted to suicide-vest them both into the ceiling.

("Right… so all you faggots get to live today. Congratulations.")

Everyone, including his translator looked at him incredulously. Iori didn't give anyone time to ask questions; he wasn't up for it. If Iori couldn't kill these guys, at least he was going to minimize the chance they'd come after Rock in the near future. Hopefully the Yakuza would take care of them at some later date.

("My American… that kid you were gonna chop to bits, he just got done begging for your lives. He fucking threatened to kill himself because _for whatever reason_ he doesn't want any of you to meet your ancestors today… swell guy, right?")

Iori's little speech was drawing the expected reactions. Relief. Embarrassment. Shame. The fat man was crying. Iori wasn't sure if it was from pain, or relief and frankly he didn't much care. The only feeling he was concerned about was these guys' desire to go duck hunting. He was going to say whatever he needed to so he didn't have to spend the next week camping out in Rock's hospital room.

("Honestly, I was looking forward to tearing out everyone's ribs... but to keep _him_ happy, you guys get to walk. Happy Friday. You get a weekend to disappear before my family starts a manhunt… so hurry up and run… and _remember who you owe your lives to_.")

Iori motioned to the helicopter and gave a final round of serious stares. After he felt his point had been effectively communicated, he stood, turned, and made his way toward the exit. He called out over his shoulder.

 _("_ That's all. Show's over." _)_

* * *

 _Iori is all sorts of delusional. Bruh have you ever seen someone justify themselves with logic that faulty? lmao._

 _(This is why Yag is addicted to barbeque)_

 _Rock is such a bro tho Uwu_

 _What a good kid._

 _you know 100% that Yag is gonna be camping in Rock's hospital room :joy:_


	113. Rest

_Last chapter. Epilogues begin 114. Shifted a topic from main storyline to epilogue. It fits better there._

 _Notes:_ wow guys... Finally done. What a wild ride. This thing has been going for like 2 years and now we're finally finished. I plan to add 7 epilogues for most of the character groups that appear throughout - but this is the actual end of plot.

I don't normally address readers directly like this, but If you're reading this - then I want to thank you for coming with me on this journey. I mean, I think this piece is like 200k words. That's like 4 novels. Haha.

Anyhow. Now that the we're just about finished, do me a favor and give me a quick wave in the comments. I don't ever talk to most of you, but I'd at least like to thank you directly for followingthis work.

\- all my love

* * *

 _("What? Yeah… we need to arrange to have the tickets for the Japan concert refunded. Just tell them the reason for cancellation was illness… call up Athena's team and ask how they're handling it. I can pay the refunds from either the ticket proceeds or…")_

Rock groaned as he drifted awake. He pressed his face into his soft pillow and gazed deeply into the white nylon curtain surrounding his hospital bed. He felt tired, weak and slightly sore, and was perfectly happy just laying there and resting. He heard the low murmuring of a familiar voice chattering on the phone from the other side of the dividing curtain. There was the sweet smell of morning dew in the air. Light filtered through the open window. A cool breeze rustled the blinds. Rock sighed and let himself relax.

Because Body and Soul. All was well.

He had tested himself against the most difficult of circumstances. He had pitted his beliefs against the threat of death and the inclination of his pedigree. He had chosen the straight and the narrow. He had stuck to his path. He had suffered, he had bled, he had struggled, he had cried…

And he had emerged victorious.

He seized his victory from the temptation of his bloodline. He held on through the crushing terror of death. He had tested everything he was. Every bit of pretense was burned in the heat of trial, and Rock found himself, pure, beneath.

 _I know who I am…_

And now, that the trials were finished, Rock Howard could rest. He could breathe. Everything was settled. Everything was finished… and he was safe.

Because that voice - which was surely sorting out some band business - belonged to Iori Yagami.

 _Boss… shut up…_

Iori was the first person Rock had ever met who loved him without liking him very much. It was weird even applying the word 'love' to this situation, but it really was the most apt. Iori Yagami had taken a bullet for him without a second thought, but still managed to be incredibly rude about everything else. Although the surface of their relationship was tumultuous and nearly entirely composed of yelling and swearing, Rock knew the foundation was one of unconditional benevolence.

 _Urgh… damn. So annoying._

And if Iori was here, Rock knew he was safe. There was no way anyone was coming after him if that fearful - and frankly entirely unhinged - man was conducting conference calls in Rock's hospital room. Iori's display under the highway overpass was extremely unsettling, but this time, Rock could truly understand his employer's behavior. After all, Rock had also spent some time under the influence of 'Riot', and knew firsthand how difficult it was to resist. Even so, Iori - whose 'possession' was apparently many times worse than his - had denied himself and spared those eleven men at Rock's request.

 _Blood Riot…_

Thanks to his boss's efforts, that murderous tendency wasn't a burden to Rock any longer. Iori himself couldn't escape it, but clearly he didn't want Rock to turn out like he did. Sure. Rock had nearly watched his employer tear someone in two, but then again, it didn't feel right to condemn him. Iori's favor was severe, and his corresponding hatred was equal if not greater. Goodness wasn't good to everyone. Rock now understood that sentiment. There was no sense in asking for an explanation. There was no benefit either. This was just how Iori Yagami was, and Rock was simply going to be thankful that _'goodness'_ had alighted upon him.

 _Me and my lunatic employer… haah…_

Rock lifted his hand to adjust the bandages on his forehead, and winced as his shoulder complained. It was Saturday morning, and Rock had spent yesterday afternoon being stitched up on Chizuru Kagura's operating table. He'd been knocked out for a couple of hours afterwards, and upon finally waking, found everything sore - but working well. Clark had called Chizuru a miracle woman. Obviously, he wasn't exaggerating.

 _Wonder if Seirah can see yet…_

Clark had texted him a couple of days ago, indicating that one of KP's doctors had arrived and were beginning to work on Seirah. From his joyous phrasing, it seemed that she was on her way to a full recovery. Since then, Rock hadn't found the time to call IKARI… perhaps he'd give them a ring later on today.

 _And Athena and Kensou?_

Where were they? What were they up to? Rock hadn't had much conversation with either, and frankly Athena still scared him quite badly. At least Iori's power was somewhat understandable - but Athena's? From Rock's perspective, it seemed she could just about do anything. He was happy to admire from afar… yet, he did wonder how she was, and what sort of drama had ensued between her and her boyfriend.

 _Not that… I'm really into drama… That's more of Shermie's thing…_

Were Shermie and Yashiro actually coming back next year? It seemed unbelievable, but over the course of the past 3 weeks Rock had experienced many unbelievable things. He wondered how he would treat them if they showed up one day. For much of the tour, CYS had proved fun-loving, friendly and supportive. Yashiro to a greater extent, Shermie to a lesser - but at the very least they made him feel included. Perhaps… _perhaps, next year, I just have to see._

And… Dad.

Terry Bogard.

Rock smiled at the ceiling. He wanted to see his father again. He really missed him. Once Rock's wounds healed sufficiently, they'd be flying home. A couple of more days and Rock was going to give his father a flying tackle of a welcome hug.

 _Hehe…_

Of all the things Rock was looking forward to, that was definitely at the top of the list. He'd come home with his head high and with joy in his heart… because Tour was finally over.

It had been the most wild, terrifying and surreal experience of his life thus far, but looking back on it, Rock was glad he had come. Much of it had been painful. The entirety had been stressful, but the _experience_ was greatly valuable. He'd made friends. He'd made enemies. He had reforged himself.

And now, it was finally, finally over.

He was ready to go home.

* * *

Standby for epilogues. This is like 'Rock's ending' , so felt it appropriate to "end," main storyline here and address you guys in notes. I still have loose ends to tie up, so stay tuned :)

Yeeeeeeeee


	114. Epilogue: Whip

_How I met your mother._

* * *

"Private."

Whip, who had been passing the time listening to audiobooks, turned toward her superior's voice. She was sitting in a KP facility post operation 3 of 5, and slightly annoyed with Clark's interruption. She paused her podcast and saluted.

"Sir."

Even if she was injured, and was going to be blind for the next two weeks, she would remain professional. For her, this was going to be something of an uncomfortable medical vacation, which wouldn't be enjoyable, but the reward - her sight - was worth all the pain. Her doctor Ms. Curry was very skilled - but _something_ about her was very familiar, and frankly made her very uncomfortable. Whip didn't dare complain about her, though, since it was already hard enough convincing Chizuru Kagura to send _anyone_ to fix her _._

 _Dr. Curry… I… have I met her? Haaah… just be thankful. She's fixing you…_

"Hey, Whip. Your boyfriend's on the line."

Whip blinked. She felt her heart flutter.

"Rock Howard?"

"Yup, do you wanna talk to him?"

"Sure."

Rock Howard… what did she think about him? He didn't have a very forceful personality. Sometimes he came off as scared and even cowardly… yet when it mattered - Whip had _never_ seen someone be so incredibly ballsy. He wasn't particularly smart. He wasn't particularly charming. He tended to vascillate on many decisions, but when the rubber hit the road, when the fires of trials and difficulty were hemming him in - his boy _got shit done._

Whip didn't really know _why_ she liked Rock Howard… but she felt no need to put it in words. She just liked him, and perhaps… he liked her too. She reached out and Clark pressed a cellphone into her hand. She smirked and raised it to her ear.

"Hello?"

 _*Oh… hi, this is Rock Howard. Can I talk to Seirah?*_

"It's me, Rock. How are you?"

He sounded like he was about to answer, then paused, and turned the question back on her. From his way his voice sounded - a rather breathy, gaspy cadence - it sounded like he had either just been injured, or was just recovering. Considering Whip could hear the beeping of monitoring equipment in the background, she was fairly certain of the latter. It was very likely Rock had done some crazy stuff over the past few days. Whip suspected most of that craziness resulted from his unfortunate standing as 'Iori Yagami's employee'.

Still… the very fact he was 'Iori Yagami's employee' was the lynchpin in recovering her sight, and… her entire life. If not for him, Whip would have lost herself entirely. Cast out for her own safety to the street, blind, empty-headed, and with nobody who cared for her. Instead, she not only could remain with those she considered family, but had also made a new and (hopefully) very special friend. To Rock, no thanks was too great.

 _*I'm uh- well, that's not important. I'll be fine… how about you? Are… um, is the doctor that Ms. Kahgora sent helping you? I haven't had a chance to call, and… *_

He petered off as was his fashion. Whip put on her lecture voice, yet the warmness showed through clearly.

"Yes, Dr. Curry is fantastic. She is very knowledgeable about organ cultures and cloning in general. This morning I got my optical fibres replaced. Apparently in a week or so, they're going to put some eyeballs in, and I'll be able to see. Thank you, Rock."

 _*Oh man… that's great to hear.*_ He sounded incredibly relieved. _*Um, yeah, you're welcome. I just… did what I had to. After all, this is all my fault tha-... ah, nevermind.*_

He cut himself short, clearly embarrassed with the direction he had steered the conversation. Whip chuckled. She was an analyst and sometimes spokesperson - and knew how to lie, and spin… everything. There was always a certain suspicion, or agenda she felt she needed to discover whenever she talked to someone. But with Rock, he just laid it all out. Of course, he was trying to mask _some_ of his emotions, but he might as well give up - because Whip could read his intentions clearly. She knew he had no ill will toward her. She knew his intentions were pure. It made her smile. She chuckled.

"No. Not everyone would deal with _Chizuru Kagura_ for me. IKARI had butted heads with her for many years now, and getting her to help is almost always impossible. Rock, Thank you. Thank you so much."

That embarrassed him. She could almost feel him blushing from across the phone line.

 _*Ah… um, you're welcome… uh.*_ He coughed and composed himself. _*So… after all of this, will I see you again? I'd really like to.*_

That made her happy. She grinned as she replied. Clark snickered from the doorway. ( _privacy please!?)_

"Of course, you will… I'll be seeing you with new eyes," he laughed at the joke. "And you still owe me _a lot_ of favors, you know. I'll be coming to Southtown to collect."

 _*What? Favors?*_

"You owe me a movie, Rock. Three dinners. Airplane ticket… I have it all in my head. Don't you worry about it."

 _*Ohhh… oh, okay!*_

"And you better not ditch me at the airport again. You're lucky you got kidnaped, because otherwise I would have slapped you _so_ hard."

 _*Seirah!*_

* * *

 _Haha, she has a sense of humor too._

 _They're an interesting pair, and the most romantic thing I'll probably ever write._

 _Rock kinda shocked at the end, like Gurl y u bring this up?_


	115. Epilogue: Yagami Family & Yew Family

_Not everyone got a good ending... :/_

* * *

"You! Heir!"

Tears ran down her face as she stormed through the Yagami family estate. Her bright red hair, usually so well arranged in a neat bun, was wild and stuck to her face in messy strands. Tears poured down her cheeks as she screamed like a banshee. Rage and sorrow and anger and loss rang across the estate's beautifully manicured courtyards.

"Damn you! You damn heir!"

Her son. Her beautiful sweet son _was in a coffin._ The Yagami clan was supposed to be invincible with the heir around. That was the only reason she let her precious boy go carousing in Shanghai. Iori Yagami was strong, everyone told her that. He could overcome whatever adversary was thrown against him - and it seemed to be quite true. That red-haired bastard had waltzed back into the estate with nary a scratch on him. Whatever conflict he had faced had been put down swiftly and effectively. So… _so why was her son dead?!_

She lifted her skirts and ran across the grassy field at the small entourage walking along the raised platforms. The heir was chatting nonchalantly with the Fourth Elder. Over his shoulder, he was carrying the American guest's backpack. The man was acting as if _nothing_ had happened this morning. As if ten guards, and her _own_ _precious son, a member of the prestigious main branch,_ weren't dead. The sight made her rage all the more.

"How dare you show your face! Bring me my son back! You snake! You filthy piece of shit!"

He turned to glance briefly at her, then dismissed her and returned to his conversation. It was the chief insult. Her son didn't need to die. Sister Aki didn't need to have her teeth smashed out. This man, the heir, the figurehead of the Yagami family… _he didn't even lift a finger to protect his own family._

She charged at them. Approaching rapidly and filled with a mother's vengeance. She heard snippets of their conversation as she drew near. She had heard the full reports. Iori had an even glanced at her son... _his nephew_ or Sister Aki when they were overcome by the enemy. In fact, he had struck out on his own - demanding that they should take care of themselves, and not to bother him…

"You fucking traitor! Why?!"

Yet, when he heard his _stupid_ little American band member was having a bit of trouble, he dropped everything, took the helicopter, and made every effort at rescue. If only the heir had the slightest regard for her son, her boy might come home to her… instead, it didn't even look like he knew there was blood on his hands.

She had caught up. Intercepted them. Seized the heir by his arm. He spun around, annoyed. She snarled at him through her tears. He snarled back in his utter indifference.

"Who the f-"

" _You!_ My boy is dead because of you!"

A scoff. He didn't miss a beat. The fourth elder sighed and stood aside. The old man's expression was sad.

"My fault? No. He's dead because he's weak. That's it. Don't complain."

A moment of stunned silence as the insensitive words registered with her. She had expected at least _some_ sort of condolences. Of course, it wouldn't have made her feel any better, but to at least the Heir would know the consequences of his actions. Whatever rage she had been caught up in before this moment was nothing compared to what she felt now. She shrieked and lifted an arm to strike him across the face.

"Have you no loyalty to your family? Have you no honor? You run to rescue some American child, but won't even look at your own flesh and blood?! How dare you!"

He caught her wrist, and with a vicious twist, hurled her to the floor. Her forehead struck the wooden planks sharply, and she felt a trickle of blood run past her nose to mingle with her tears. She heard the heir bark at her as if through a haze.

"Loyalty? What makes you think I'm loyal to you? I don't know you. I have no obligation to you. We share hair color and last name and that's it. I didn't kill your son, but I might fucking murder his bitch of a mother."

She glared at him from the floor. Summoning every ounce of hate in her body. He turned, and continued to accompany the Fourth Elder down the walkway. She choked out a few more sobs, then cried out.

"Wait!"

He didn't even glance at her.

"Fuck off."

* * *

Never before had he run so fast. It had been a frenzy of packing, screaming, yelling, terminating leases, procuring new identification, covert escapades, cutting ties, forging new ones… and finally. Finally… they were here.

"Daddy, is this our new house?"

"Shh, honey, let's go wash up, okay?"

San Francisco. Chinatown. The land of the free, the refuge of the brave. Yew, his wife, his child… here they were to start a clean slate. The empty apartment was small and bare, but Yew knew within a couple of days, it would be just as warm and welcoming at their old home. They had purchased the restaurant downstairs and the meat bun-shop within. The neighbors had already warmed to them quite nicely, and their small family had already been showered in a number of small gifts and trinkets.

"Okay Mummy."

Yew watched his daughter skip her way into the bathroom for a change of clothes and a shower, and felt his heart fill up. How precious she was to him. How young, and pure, and good… That boy, Rock Howard, was it? It was because of that man - whose throat Yew himself would have slit - that Mr. Yew could now experience this sweet moment. He had a new life. He had a new beginning.

 _I won't forget that…_

Iori Yagami had instructed that he remember who had spared him… but there was no need. Yew wasn't a hard man. He knew when there was goodness being done to him. One day, some way or another, Yew was going to repay the boy for the great kindness he had shown that day. That demon of a man, Iori Yagami, was quite ready to tear him to bits, but the boy had put his _own life_ on the line for the sake of his enemies. What a… ridiculous situation. What a moronic ideal.

 _I'll never forget that…_

The fat man sat on the bare mattress, and grunted in pain as stitches in his side tugged and complained. He sighed and reflected over the events that had elapsed over the past few days. Many people had fought and died. Many people had been hurt, and had their lives destroyed. Yew _knew_ he didn't deserve to live. He _knew_ every moment he lived hereafter was a gift from heaven itself. His life was forfeit, but had been returned to him by his enemy. How… _just… thank you..._

Yew's breath caught as he heard his daughter laughing and splashing in the bathtub. He gazed softly at the bathroom door and felt joyful tears swell in his throat. The fat man took off his glasses, pocketed them, and ran his thumb along the corners of his eyes.

There was much he had lost.

Status, power… _It didn't matter. None of it did._

The ones he loved were here, alive and well.

And he was happy.

* * *

 _One Gained. One lost._

 _Just roll the dice._


	116. Epilogue: Sie Kensou & Athena Asimaya

_Okay, Psycho (Psychotic) Soldiers next._

 _Of course I need to wrap these guys up lol. btw - in case you were wondering because I didn't address it directly - once Iori got shipped to the hospital after getting shot in Shanghai Athena just went home, because there is obv no more concert._

 _Kensou got baby Bao - who is his nephew._

* * *

 _Phew…_

Sie Kensou exhaled slowly. Bare feet planted in the cool grass, morning dew tickling his ankles. Likely for the _first time_ in five years was he taking his training with Master Chin seriously. He was tired. Exhausted even, but the weakness in his body eliminated extra, wasted movements. He had been up all night taking care of Bao's incessant crying, and hadn't slept a wink. Now that the hired nanny had come to watch the infant - Kensou was free to rest… and by rest, Master Chin meant ' _train'._

 _Deep breaths… channel it's power…_

Quinglong. The mystical creature. A spirit beast. Chin had taken him in after measuring his aptitude with the divine creature, but until now - he had no communication with it. Well, honestly, Kensou wasn't surprised. After all, even normal people looked down on him for his shameful behavior around Athena. As he was, why would a noble divine beast have anything to do with him? It was only now, that his heart wasn't filled with pathetic simpering, the beast would allow him to channel.

 _Athena, I wonder how she is…_

Cutting ties with Athena Asimaya… it wasn't anything Kensou had ever imagined he'd do, yet here he was. It had been about a week since he packed his bags and left - his newly orphaned nephew in a cradle slung across his back. Auntie Kam had - thankfully - left him a sizable chunk of inheritance. He was now the owner of a high-end apartment in Beijing. A smaller one in Shanghai, and enough cold hard cash to not only fund Bao's expenses, but his own as well for many coming years.

 _Maybe… Maybe I should call Mom and Dad…_

The past few days had been a flurry of frantic damage control. Attempting to reforge all the bonds he had smashed all those years ago in his single minded pursuit for Athena's love. She wasn't good for him. He had always known it in the back of his mind. But now that things had come to a head - he was forced to face reality. Athena… he had loved her. Truly, he had… but obviously he wasn't a perfect man. His love grew cold with her cruelty until the flame died out.

 _She… probably wasn't trying to offend…_

Her clear misunderstanding and disregard for Aunt Kam's dying moments was the straw that broke the camel's back. Kensou knew Athena. She wasn't stupid. She was just frustrated and not paying attention. Surely, she had misheard the doctor in his diagnosis… but _still._ When a person cared, they didn't make mistakes like this. Athena's mistake was simply being too selfish.

 _Yeah… but you didn't help…_

And Athena's selfishness was not only enabled, but encouraged with Kensou's constant worship and simpering. He knew her friends. He knew her connections… Athena Asimaya had nobody besides for him. She had fans. She had distant acquaintances. But she had nobody to share her worries or difficulties with. For five long years, Kensou had served as her confidant… but now, he needed to exhibit a bit of selfishness. A small part of him felt bad about it, but it was only a passing thought. He would never subject himself to that nightmare again.

 _She'll be fine… she's strong. She doesn't need me… at least she needs to learn not to need me._

It seemed both he and Athena had a lot of growing up to do. For five years they had held each other back, and it was time to play catchup. She had her power, but lacked in emotional maturity. She harnessed the Phoenix with great expertise, but had a much greater hurdle to overcome… her own wild emotions. He had the opposite problem. If he wanted _anyone_ to see him as an equal, he couldn't rely on Athena's monster power anymore. He needed to stand on his own feet. He needed to grasp the Dragon's power to earn his long-lost respect.

 _Phew…_

A rumble. The ground. The sky. It trembled and flowed in through him, filling him to the brim with that azure power. Focus. Concentrate… grasp that cool, blue nobility. The god of the sky. The god of the sea…

 _Reach for that… reach for your honor… there…_

A flare. Deep blue. Coalescing in from the moisture in the air. It swirled in tight and coated his fist. Exhale. Explode. The creak of splintered trees. The crash of shattered stone…

 _Grasp your power…_

* * *

A graveyard…

Athena Asimaya had never stepped foot in one before. There was nobody she respected enough to waste her time on, and even if she did - she saw no sense in visiting a person's rotting, buried corpse to honor them.

Still.

Athena - gorgeous, noble, the personification of _crushing, powerful beauty -_ was dressed immaculately as always. A long wool overcoat. Her hair arranged in a tight, professional bun.. The soles of her thousand dollar heels crunched over rough gravel and overgrown cobblestone. After a few moments, she opted to float a centimetre above the ground to avoid scuffing her shoes.

… _Mr. and Mrs. Kam… died on the same day…_

She wasn't sure why she had come. She didn't even know these people. In fact, she had done nothing but try to help them. Kensou had asked her to help the woman - Ms. Kam, and Athena obliged. She had exerted her power for the benefit of a stranger… and unfortunately the stranger had decided to commit suicide. Kam's effort to murder herself had thwarted Athena's attempt to save her. Athena had done nothing wrong. She was justified. She...

 _Ugh..._

Why did it feel so bad?!

Athena gritted her teeth and glared down at the dual gravestones. There was a strange feeling in her throat. She had only ever cried for herself… but… _can I cry for others?_

Perhaps.

Her thousand dollar shoes crunched back into the gravel and she kneeled down. Athena Asimaya, kneeling. It had never happened before, but today, she did so willingly. From her pocket, she drew a small incense pot and two sticks of the fragrant perfume. She laid it at the foot of the grave, and lit it with a small jolt of power.

She stood and watched the smoke rise.

And she felt wetness on her cheeks.

She didn't know what her tears meant, but as she wept, she felt her heart ease. She felt her soul pour out. She thought of everyone she ever talked to. She thought of everyone who had ever suffered the consequences of her selfish indifference.

 _Oh… Sie…_

Athena looked to the sky, letting her makeup run down her face in streams. She didn't understand herself. She didn't understand her own internal turmoil… but she knew there was work to do. Today was a new beginning for Athena Asimaya. Today, she would reforge herself… not as a selfish goddess who bludgeoned all who dared to speak against her, but as a woman who would earn the adoration showered upon her from the deepest qualities of her being.

 _Oh, Athena… It'll be hard._

It would be.

But Athena Asimaya the godde-... no.

Today, she was nobody. Today, she was a new woman.

Beginning today she would rebuild herself.

 _It's a new day… Athena… it's time to work._

* * *

 _Athena has god complex... but she's working on it :)_

 _unfortunatley , rn the ship is sunk, but maybe they'll get back together I dunno._

 _Btw- 'Bao' is just a nickname his mom gave him before she died. Ken is just gonna stick with that name because he's not about to name his nephew._

 _kk I think that's my last one for today. 3 more epilogues and we're done.  
_

 _* chiz_

 _*Yag_

 _*Terry_

 _I'll prob be done by wed at the latest._


	117. Epilogue: Shen Woo

_GuEsS wHo_

 _Shen Woo my darling..._

* * *

 _Death._

He had seen it with his own eyes.

Looming. Inevitable… _dark._

That man, who only a single week ago had been a source of great fun for Shen Woo, had arrived in his hometown to kill him. Shen Woo was no stranger to deadly force. He had killed before - but never _really_ intentionally. He didn't really want to kill, after all. He just wanted to fight. Sure, sometimes he got a bit carried away and punched someone a _little_ too hard, and _just_ the right angle...

 _Phew…_

Iori Yagami had come to kill him.

People had tried to kill Shen Woo before… but always via cowardly means. Large gangs with baseball bats. Gunmen snooping around the hallways of his apartment. Even Poison, _once_. It was a good thing his sense of smell was so good, otherwise he might not have noticed the stench of terrified adrenaline and got himself caught unawares.

But this time… it was different. One on one. Hand to hand. Ridiculous _power._ Utter ruthlessness. Shen Woo had faced Iori Yagami head on, and was _crushed._ They weren't boxing. They weren't sparring. For the first time in his life, Shen Woo was _really and truly_ trying to kill another person.

And he was bested.

For all intents and purposes - he should have died. His head pierced through. His skull crushed between a fist and the brick wall. He had seen it. The darkness of death. The adrenaline rising in his blood. The dopamine which shot through his head. The panic which wracked every nerve in his body. Then…

...

Blinding Light.

The fire, the fight, the adrenaline, the _battle…_ it was gone.

 _A shameful escape._

Suddenly, Shen Woo had found himself lying flat on a cold concrete floor with a strange blue-haired frenchwoman staring down at him with a disdainful expression on her face. It had been shocking. Upsetting in the extreme. That was _his fight_. That was _his battle._ And the end - even if he were to die - was stolen from him? Someone had so much power over him, that they could simply draw him with a flash of light, and he'd be at their beck and call?

He - in that moment, bleeding, torn to pieces and having barely escaped death - tried to attack his unwanted savior, and was struck across the face with a _horsewhip_.

 _A damn horsewhip!_

And like some pathetic pet, he was picked up and hurried away for medical treatment. Strapped to a gurney and snarling and fighting every step of the way, Shen Woo found this manhandling more shameful than _literally being killed_. He was Shanghai's Battle God! Nobody directed his steps! Nobody put him on a leash. Shen Woo was _mad,_ and now (a week after he'd been taken in) he made his anger known as he stormed his way through the tremendous and opulently decorated European manor.

He followed the scent of snooty pretentiousness through a set of French doors. He kicked his way into the foyer and immediately began raging.

"Send me home!"

The blue-haired noblewoman - even while sitting - attempted to stare down at him as he stomped his way across the room.

"I'm going back to Shanghai. Send me home!"

Her Chinese was terrible. Shen Woo could barely understand it.

 _"You'll be killed. You're too weak. Work with me, and I'll make you strong. Don't you want to beat Iori Yagami?"_

Shen Woo glared at her. He didn't like this woman a single bit… but… _beating Iori Yagami… huuuuhhhh..._

He _really_ wanted to beat Iori Yagami.

Snooty woman smiled wryly and made some French noises. After a moment, she addressed him in her horrible Chinese. He needed to concentrate _very_ hard.

 _"I see. We're teammates now, Mr. Shen… allow me to introduce myself..."_

* * *

 _Just had to get this one out of the way._

 _Chiz, Yag and Terry then we donzo_


	118. Epilogue: Cheng Shizan & Chizuru Kagura

_Wrapping up some loose ties..._

 _lmao you thought Chiz could have a good ending?_

 _u don't know me :evil_laugh:_

* * *

"He's alive? What do you mean..."

 _*We're unsure, sir. Apparently there's film of him - or somebody who looks very similar to him in the Shanghai airport*_

"... impossible."

Cheng Shinzan frowned deeply and shifted his feet off the table to the floor of his office. Yew survived? Impossible. How could he face down the entire Yakuza and survive? _Surely it's a coincidence…_

 _*It… might not be him, sir… but he did look quite similar. Would you like us to search for him?*_

"No… no, don't waste any more resources on that failure of a man. Whether he lives or dies is of no consequence to us. He's a coward, and he's smart too - so _if_ he survived, he'd never touch Triad business again… forget him."

 _*Yes Sir.*_

"We have bigger fish to fry… We need to fill the power vacuum in Shanghai before the Yakuza seize it. Find someone in Yew's administration and make sure they don't talk to the Yakuza. Additionally… (etc)."

* * *

" _Dr. Curry ma'am"_

Chizuru, who had been diligently reading through the FDA legal documents approving her Benzene Liver Drug - _Integra30_ \- raised her head to admit Dr. Akira's right-hand woman.

"Jolene! Come in."

Dr. Jolene Curry was nothing short of a genius, and Chizuru Kagura was incredibly lucky to have her. She had joined the firm not four years ago with nothing to her name besides for the tattered clothes on her back and a medical assistant license. However, despite her lack of formal training, the 25 year old blonde woman proved to have a knack for research. After 3 weeks charting in the ER - she was promoted to Akira's R&D team. Three weeks later, she was the assistant director. Chizuru absolutely adored the woman because of how much money she made the company, and it seemed Dr. Curry enjoyed the benefits showered upon her as well - namely, free reign to conduct whatever projects she wanted so long as they were somewhat profitable (they always were).

Chizuru Kagura layered honey in her voice.

"How was your flight, Dr. Curry… I'm surprised you volunteered for field work. Did it go well?"

Curry smiled at her and straightened her lab coat. Her English had a slight Morrocan accent, _very_ strange for an Eurasian woman. In any case, Chizuru looked over _many_ of her eccentricities - including the occasional rumor she was doing human experiments in the basement.

"Of course, Madame. We've laid all the groundwork for the transplant. Once the nerves take sufficiently, and the organ cultures are fully developed, I will fly back down to attach the eyes. A fairly simple procedure… but, Madame, that's not the reason I'm here. I wouldn't waste your time to tell you something boring."

 _This_ was another reason Chizuru Kagura loved Dr. Curry. Always quick, succinct, to the point, and she _never made mistakes. Why can't everyone be like this?_

A brief moment's pause. Dr. Curry smoothed her skirt and pulled out a document from beneath her lab coat. She referred to it as she gave report.

"The patient - codename: Whip - is _actually_ a NESTS clone. First generation to be precise… I was reading through the old records, and found her experimental file. She's a woman built from a corpse."

Chizuru blinked then lifted her hand to her chin and began scheming. What sort of ramifications did this information have? Could she use it to get an upper hand over Heidern? Perhaps Kyo and Iori would flip at the news, and go hunt them down… _is that even beneficial? Hmmm…_

Dr. Curry continued.

"She was synthesized as a back up plan - in the case that Kusanagi couldn't be captured alive. Obviously, NESTS found no use for her after the cloning processes began, but I figured - since you and that Commander seem to have some conflict - you might want to keep this information as possible leverage. That's all."

Oh, how insightful of Dr. Curry. Chizuru nodded and pondered and schemed. After a moment she looked up.

"Dr. Curry, that sample… do you wish to study it? I can have it _accidentally collected._ "

Another reason she loved Dr. Curry. She was quite utilitarian. She wasn't ever caught in that pesky moral outrage that so many of her executives found themselves bound by. The only reason Dr. Curry wasn't the head of the department was she'd be inundated with paperwork. Chizuru Kagura wanted her to have as much time and resources as possible to push the frontier of medical science… for the benefit of KP of course.

The woman chuckled. She shook her head of curly hair and tapped the document against the edge of Chizuru's desk.

"There's no need. It's useless data anyways - outdated. Although I am interested to see how long the subject will live… first generation clones tended to have quite interesting lifespans. We-... NESTS hadn't yet ironed out the kinks with expiration dates and such..."

"Oh?"

Interesting.

"She may live one year… or two hundred. If she lives long, I'd like to dissect her… but alas, I'll have to wait. That's all Madame Kagura."

"Very good… You have my thanks Dr. Curry."

* * *

Yew gets off lucky... _you know he's gonna be playing assist like 4 years down the road lmao._

 _Whip's an experiment. Read chapter 1 of DaybyDay_


	119. Epilogue: Iori Yagami

_You know, in a lot of fanfiction when you lock two people in a room for a week they eventually fall in love._

 _it doesn't work that that here._

 _lmao. Imagine Iori Yagami decides to live in your Hospital room for a week?_

 _Chizuru knows. (he stays in the living room tho)_

* * *

"Window seat's mine."

"... yeah, yeah I know."

"Don't sass me, Howard."

Rock rolled his eyes and stood aside as Iori squeezed past and plopped down in the window seat. It had been a week since Rock attended his stabbing, and after Chizuru worked some of her magic (thankfully - nothing needed to be cultured and replaced) Rock was walking around - sore but quite whole. Well, except that he was now missing a rib. Iori had encouraged him with a ' _It'll contribute to your hourglass figure',_ and Rock had replied with an unamused, ' _Boss, I'm in the shower! Can you stop yelling!? The neighbors are getting mad.'_

"...humph."

Now that the scars had faded and there was no evidence that Rock had been on his deathbed a couple of days ago, they were finally flying back to SouthTown. It hadn't been Iori's decision. Iori was quite happy to send Rock home wrapped like a mummy. Rock was the one who insisted there be no trace of the scuffle - and Iori, although he was getting pretty sick of living in the hospital ward with Rock as a roommate - didn't raise any objection. Clearly, Rock wanted to hide something from his family back home, and Iori figured it wasn't any of his business.

Rock huffed at him and grudgingly took a seat. He plugged in his headphones and began browsing the first class movie selection. The normal politeness Rock showed to him as an employer was completely gone, and after a week of playing roommate, his conversation had been reduced to groaning and sniping. Iori thought it was pretty funny.

 _Heh… should have booked his own airplane ticket… tough luck._

In any case, Iori wasn't one to sweat the small things (so long as it didn't pertain to music). Rock Howard being a rude little bitch was a refreshing break from Rock Howard ' _I'm late to my stabbing'_ and Rock Howard _'Let's take a Field trip to a gas explosion'._ Sure, over the course of this tour, Rock had done a great number if dumb things, that had some really wild consequences, but - to be completely honest - Iori found himself quite impressed with the boy's resilience. Not his physical resilience - he was a decent fighter, but nothing to really nod at - but his moral resilience. Something Iori lacked entirely.

Rock had killed a couple of people over this tour. Given what Iori knew about his employee's character, each incident was very likely either influenced by Orochi or performed in self defense. In any case, he obviously felt terribly about it and resolved to never do it again.

 _And the fucking nutjob stuck to his guns..._

Rock Howard had refused to use deadly force against the gang of Chinese Knife Men. He was a teenager, unarmed, stressed, alone. He was _no match_ for the Knife Gang ambush. For him, anything was permissible. He should have fought like an animal. Poked out eyes. Crushed throats. Battled with every bit of hatred he could pull from the deepest depths of his being. Rock Howard was in _no_ position to show mercy. A weak man had no right to show gentleness. It was against the natural order. The hunted _never_ spared the hunter.

Someone with an overzealous moral compass might demand it. It's easy to talk big when sitting around mouthing off without a single danger in sight. ' _I would've done this', 'I would've done that'_ , easy to say - but when the _terror hit._ When the adrenaline went pumping through your brain. When the dark threat of death looms over your head… _That_ was when a man's true beliefs came to light.

And Rock Howard _really_ fucking believed it.

And in the heat of the moment, he held to his morality.

 _Psycho._

Iori didn't understand it.

Rock's behavior was completely foreign to him. A complete anomaly. Strange, illogical, even insane.

Yet… to hold your resolve through pain is admirable. To cling to it in _death?_ Nearly impossible. Rock was ready to carry his conviction to the grave… and if not for Iori's timely arrival Fat Glasses man would have turned the boy into a shish-kabob.

 _Incredibly fucking ballsy..._

And when all was said and done, Rock didn't only come out of this alive - but seemed more confident in himself. Less fraught with guilt. More composed. There was less cringing and nervousness and all around timidity. It felt like after all these difficult trials, he was finally forced to pin down his identity and define who he was… That was good. Hopefully he'd be less susceptible to stage fright.

What wasn't good, was he began giving Iori sass.

 _Brat..._

Iori sighed, buckled himself into his seat, and pulled his eyemask down over his face. He flipped his phone into airplane mode and stuck it into the seat pocket. He blinked into the blackness of fabric, and promptly knocked Rock's elbow off the armrest. It was his armrest to hog. He had paid for the tickets.

 _(Boss are you serious?… c'mon!)_

He snorted and offered a friendly middle finger in response.

Well, in any case, despite all the ridiculous nonsense that went on during this tour, Iori found himself quite content with it. The result… was _okay_. Two dead band members. Three attempted murders. A Japanese-Chinese Gang war. An Idol Drama Breakup story. IKARI military involvement. Experimental Medical procedures. Several hospitalizations. Several million dollars in ticket sales.

 _Ehh..._

Not too shabby.

* * *

 _Actually your tour was a disaster bby._

 _:smiley_face_with_three_hearts:_


	120. Epilogue: Terry Bogard

_ITSSS DOOONNNEEEE_

 _EEEEEEE_

 _Closing Notes bottom._

* * *

Four weeks.

It'd been four weeks since Terry had seen his son, and it had frankly been the most stressful month of Terry's entire life. Even when he was fighting with his own life at stake, he didn't experience the bone-gnawing anxiety of knowing his son was embroiled in some unknown danger, but unable to do anything about it. There were many instances where Terry had resolved within himself to fly out and forcibly bring his son home, but fortunately his thoughts had never come to fruition.

 _Ow… jeez why are there so many people today..._

Because it seemed that that sort of intervention was entirely unwelcome. Over the course of four or five conversations they shared since Rock left on tour, Terry found his intentions deviated greatly from his son's. The result was something of a schism driven between them. Of course, it was a temporary thing. Terry loved Rock as a son (despite being only ten years older than him), and Rock…

 _Well, at least he -really- seems to love me back. No… he does! Absolutely. Come on, Terry! Don't doubt him!_

Even though Rock didn't seem to be angry over the phone, Terry still wasn't exactly sure what to expect upon seeing him in person. Would he be moody? Maybe he'd still be pissed? Maybe Iori rubbed off on him and made him horrible… Terry's mind had been a blur, teetering between letting his worries run away with him, and reassuring himself with affirmations of Rock's character.

 _He's a good kid… he really is…_

In any case, Rock was arriving home today. He had texted the flight number 2 days ago, and Terry - in his haste to see his son - simply could not wait for him to arrive home via taxi. He had borrowed Mary's patrol car (thankfully she was off today) and drove to SouthTown's airport to greet Rock at 'Arrivals'. Now, he was inside the airport and clinging to the railing, watching the stream of passengers and luggage with hawk eyes. His concentration was temporarily broken as a group of Asian tour guides holding signs squeezed beside him.

 _Urg…_

At that moment, the flow of people suddenly grew much heavier, and the people seemed to move more quickly. Terry snapped his attention back to search the crowd for blonde, _or red_ , hair. It really was important that Terry caught sight of Rock. He had opted to surprise his son by picking him up from the airport, and had (of course) forgotten his phone at home. If he didn't catch Rock now, the boy would - depressingly- arrive home to an empty house. _That_ was out of the question.

 _Oh damn… oh damn… did I miss him?_

He peered across the sea of faces and concentrated very hard. He was now regretting his surprise pickup plan, because for whatever reason, the airport was absolutely jammed today. It was borderline impossible to pick out a face when the airport resembled a can of sardines. Terry grimaced and sighed. This was an impossible task - and chances were, Rock had already left the building. Across the lobby was a payphone. Terry turned and began squeezing his bulky frame towards it. Behind him, the sounds of people talking and murmuring filled the room.

 _(Hey, Howard, look... It's Terry.)_

 _(...naah… wait-... No way! Daaad!? Heeey!)_

 _(What th-! Carry you own shit, Bitch! Dammit!)_

There was some commotion on the other side of the lobby; Terry hoped it died down before he got on the phone. He pushed through to the wall mounted payphone, and dug into his pockets for change. He was in the midst of counting when his eardrums were blasted through.

 _Need fifty cents… okay, got a quarter_ , _two nickels, five di-_

"BOOGAAARD!"

What a ridiculous voice. It was like an air horn blasting over everyone's heads. Terry whirled, his fighting instincts shot off and he braced himself. It was a good thing he braced himself, because when he turned, he caught sight of Rock Howard charging him down, about to bowl him into the phone booth. The boy cried out joyfully. Terry received him with equal delight.

"Hey, Dad!"

 _*Thud*_

"Rocky, oh man, how are you buddy!"

Rock's response was a muffled noise against Terry's t-shirt. He caught his father around the neck and was squeezing with everything he had. Terry ruffled his hair and hugged him back. Rock's behavior was quite amusing. When he became an (edgy) teenager, he dialed back on physical shows of affection until they were almost nonexistent. Today, was behaving like 11-year old Rock Howard, and-

 _Wow, he's light._

"Hey, Rocky… did you lose weight?"

The redhead air horn marched up and responded.

"Yeah, It's because he dumped his luggage on me."

Iori Yagami had finished elbowing his way through the crowd and was now approaching them. He was carrying Rock's Duffel bag and backpack, along with his own luggage, and laboriously dragging a cart full of boxed band equipment. He looked exasperated, but not more pissed off than usual. Although Iori was famous for causing all kinds of chaos and idiocy, _at least_ he had brought Rock home safe - and of sound mind. Terry grinned at him and offered a handshake.

"Hey Iori, thanks for taking care of him. Really appreciate it."

Iori ignored him and instead of returning the handshake, held out Rock's luggage instead. He glared, and didn't even try to look appreciative of Terry's gesture. Typical for him. ' _Must be unhappy under all circumstances'._ Terry chuckled, rolled his eyes and took the bags from him.

"No need to be that way."

"..."

Rock, who was still clinging to him like some marsupial, twisted his neck to look at his employer. He wore a mischievous grin on his face, as if he were protected now, and could say whatever offensive nonsense he wanted. Terry took one glance at him and suddenly felt himself getting nervous.

"Boss, you're such a loser."

" _What!"_

"Haha! See you Monday."

Terry was stunned. He didn't know of anyone - besides for Kyo Kusanagi - who talked shit to Iori's face. Rock grinned and grabbed Terry by the sleeve and began tugging them away. Iori might have followed and retaliated, but was saddled with about a metric ton of luggage and band equipment. He resolved to stand there, staring angrily at their retreating backs. He yelled something incomprehensible and shook his fist in the air before veering off and disappearing in the crowd.

 _Phew…_

Terry looked down at his son, his voice exasperated.

"Rock…"

Rock laughed and dispelled his concern.

"Don't worry about it, Dad... C'mon, let's go home."

* * *

 _It's finally finished._

 _I can put that Complete tag on this fic now._

 _Wow, thanks for reading everyone :) It's been tons of fun._

 _A small plug - all of my KOF stories are within the same universe. DaybyDay especially has a lot more Rock Howard Band antics, if you want more of this sort of thing._

 _Fic ended up turning dark toward the middle/end, but I feel like it finished up on a good note - at least for Rock's story._

 _Right._

 _Cyall around._


End file.
